THE EDITOR, Sir:

I teach at a local university and I am very distressed by the standard of written English the students present. To say it is generally poor is to understate the case. In any group of 10 essays, there will probably be no more than one written by a student with a grasp of grammar or spelling. How can this be? These are the high-school students successful enough to enter university. How could they have 'passed' English?

Don't get me wrong. The students aren't 'dunce'. Too many of them just aren't able to express themselves coherently in English, and this should be cause for alarm. In our global village, English is the international language of business and is the coveted second language among non-anglophones every-where. How is it that we, with English as our official language, have our students unable to write or speak it properly? Which world are we preparing them for?

Creole over english?

I sought some answers from a friend, a principal of one of the island's prominent high schools and a first-class English teacher in her own right. Her distress was, if anything, greater than mine, as even among her teachers, she had a similar problem. She also shared a concern that creole was being promoted at the expense of English. Creole has its place, but that place is not as the language of interaction with the world.

The minister of education is clearly concerned about the generally poor exam outcomes. My problem is that, certainly with English, many who 'pass' still seem strangers to the language. Something is dreadfully wrong with the way English is being taught in our schools and urgent action is necessary.

I am, etc.,

MICHAEL R. NICHOLSON

PO Box 5171

Kingston 6