THE EDITOR, Sir:
THE FOLLOWING letter has been sent to Education Minister Burchell Whiteman:
Dear Minister Whiteman:
I am writing to commend you on your courage in reinstating the five Munro schoolboys, in the face of such virulent opposition from the school board. For many, it would have been easier to side with those school board members who have their own set of rules and are unwilling to be guided by the Education Code of Jamaica that governs education practice in this country.
There is no question that the boys' conduct was unacceptable; they broke the law and they broke the school rules. This does not mean however that they should be denied an education as punishment. They have been punished with suspension. Returning them to their places in the school would therefore not be sending the wrong message. After all, the school teaches forgiveness The Merchant of Venice in English Literature, and the Our Father Prayer from the scriptures.
The Board is asking you to massage or defend egos at the expense of the future of the youth. Apart from the double punishment of suspension and now expulsion, the Education Act, especially sections 29 and 30, reinforces your decision to reinstate the students. The use of authority without wisdom and the exercise of power in petty ways for self-aggrandisement is more dangerous than ganja-smoking.
As Minister, you have acted according to the regulations and the school board stands in a subordinate position to you. Therefore it is they who are undermining you, and not you them. And, for school board members to expect you to support them regardless, they are diminishing your position and may themselves eventually turn around and say that you are weak. People who cannot accept authority cannot effectively exercise it.
Dr. Brian Morgan should be respected for the confidence he demonstrated in distancing himself from the other members of the school board. Too often people offer themselves and are elected to positions without the credentials necessary to function in these positions. This board clearly does not have the tolerance and compassion necessary, or they would understand the importance of a second chance. These boys are first-time offenders. After all, Bill Clinton said he did not inhale but he smoked it, yet he was President of the United States.
The judge who showed mercy to the schoolboy who was held with a gun demonstrated the understanding and flexibility necessary when dealing with the young and misguided. This case received less press coverage than the Munro incident, suggesting an effort to ruin the future of these young people.
Such energy would be better spent finding out who is behind the marketing of ganja at the school since the boys are from Kingston and would have had to be led to it.
Many people in the society soak ganja with run and use for the flu and many drink the tea to settle their stomach after chemotherapy. It is therefore an overkill to expel these five students. They have worth and we should find a way to work especially with our boys, who already are a minority in institutions of higher education.
I am, etc.,
PAULINE GOODEN
19 Clieveden Avenue
Kingston 6
