Education, equal rights and justice
published: Saturday | May 1, 2004

THE EDITOR, Sir:

WHEN I look around and see how our beloved country Jamaica is decaying with crime it hurts so bad. Some may say it is through drugs, poverty, unemployment, I say its lack of education and equal rights and justice. You see most of the crimes are committed by teenagers and young adults, mostly from the depressed parts of the country. Why? Most of them see no hope for themselves, no education, no skill, no future, it's easier to take what is not theirs even if they have to kill to get it. They are fed up and frustrated with the system that's why they take it out on all who they come in contact with.

COMPULSORY

Government needs to do something and fast. My suggestion is that they need to make it compulsory that every child that leaves school and is not going on to higher education most have at least one year skills training in whatever field they wish, and these facilities must be run by the military. Why the military? Because every boy and girl that leaves these training facilities will leave with discipline, good values and attitudes to face the working world. When they leave these facilities if there are no jobs available they will create jobs because they are skilled and disciplined, but Government must put the machinery in place to help them start.

We all know that Government is in a financial bind, but they must make some serious sacrifice to save this country by spending more on education. There is hope for us.

I am, etc.,

JEFF BOYD

P.O. Box

Red Hills

St. Andrew