The Editor, Sir:

I read Esther Tyson's 'Lessons from Cuba' (Sunday Gleaner, June 1) with great interest. The data she cited should alarm not only current parents but the entire country. We need a renewed commitment to improve this dismal commentary on our youth.

I cannot begin to fathom that at the end of high school, "no more than a quarter of the students have the requisite qualifications to matriculate to tertiary institutions or to get meaningful jobs" and no more than 40 per cent of Jamaican students pass math and English at CXC.

Lack of focus on the developmental needs of our youth leads to a loss of hope, prospect and spirit for the bulk of our children. This inevitably leads to underachievement, frustration, violence and political upheaval. Ignoring the needs of our youth has now become the paramount political problem of our time.

Invest in our youth

On the other hand, reaching out to our youth and investing in them becomes the cornerstone for future generations to achieve unprecedented educational objectives, the ability to adequately provide for their families and actively participate in the uplifting of their communities and our nation.

Increased material output (productivity) means that our people will have access to both material goods and the culture we crave, with the luxury of time to create, invent, produce and enrich our souls. Our gene pool is probably the best in the world. With this dowry, the lynchpin for releasing that potential is the development of our youth. Their capacity should not be thwarted.

I am, etc.,

Dr. B. WAINE KONG

Executive vice-president,

The Heart Institute

of the Caribbean