The Editor, Sir:

Some students are com-pletely out of control. The recent incidents in some of the schools are a clear indication of a failure in the education system to address indiscipline. Gone are the days when the teachers instilled discipline in the classroom through corporal punishment. I benefited from this kind of discipline and I am eternally grateful for the teachers who administered the cane or strap. I was generally well behaved, but there was no room for slackness.

Discipline starts in the home environment and is extended to the school environment. It seems to me that children have lost their respect for parents, teachers and people in authority. I can relate to the obliviousness of students in the classroom to a teachers' perspec-tive. Some students arrive at school without a goal or a reason. Their brains seem to be deprogrammed from school. They seem to be preoccupied with the latest fashion and 'bling bling'. Some make it their duty to bully weaker students into submission.

Too much bureaucracy and politics has entered the educational system. Every person seems to be an expert in his or her right. 'Accountability' seems to be the buzzword today. This type of focus does not serve the teachers or students. For example, teachers are overworked with lengthy report cards, more administrative duties and more paperwork. The students are labelled and streamed into experimental programmes.

It is high time to cut the bureaucracy, address the indiscipline in the schools and return to good management in the homes and classrooms. Parenting classes should be mandatory for all students in the upper grades.

I am, etc.,

RICHARD ASQUITH

mwhiteley33@rogers.com

Toronto, Ontario

Canada

Via Go-Jamaica