The Editor, Sir:

This year, when we are celebrating the bicentenary of the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, is as good as any to remember that Columbus had no intentions of coming to Jamaica when he set sail from Spain. He did not know the way to where he wanted to go.

This is why he ended up in the West Indies. If we think that focusing on rights will put things right we are wrong, and more children and adults end up dead right. The nation's focus on rights at all cost is wrong. The landmarks of crime and violence along our journey are clear indications that we are onthe wrong road.

The Ministry of Education and advocates for the rights of children do more harm than good when they undermine the authority of the principals and teachers by making public pronouncements about the things that principals and teachers do to maintain discipline in our schools. Discipline in the home breaks down when parents argue about disciplinary matters in front of their children. We get similar results when public authority figures vilify teachers and principals in public.

learn from experiences

On the matter of rights, we can learn much from our experiences on our roads. When we get to an intersection there are times when we need a traffic policeman to regulate traffic so that everyone can continue his or her journey in safety rather than spending the whole time arguing about who has the right of way. As a nation we need to understand that fighting for our rights is sometimes futile as all we can achieve is a pyrrhic victory.

I am, etc.,

WINNIE ANDERSON-BROWN

winab@cwjamaica.com

Bagatelle District

Ashley P.A.

Clarendon