THE EDITOR, Sir:

Indeed, there is much violence in our schools and the level of indiscipline associated with our youngsters has perhaps reached an unprecedented level. However, I firmly believe that the minister is failing to address the root causes of these issue.

As a student of Campion College, I read both Becka Lamb and A Kestrel for a Knave and benefited from the messages behind them both. The books can hardly be said to be vulgar or pornographic, and deal with relevant issues of teenage pregnancies and wayward youths searching for friendship and love, respectively. The expletives in both texts are merely literary and do not serve to foster violence or vulgarity in our youth.

The minister seems to be side-stepping more important issues, such as the sex and violence in our music, which is much celebrated by our youth, and the lack of proper parenting and supervision of our young. I would love to know the ministry's stands on these issues and hear the minister make bold statements against the negatives in our dancehall culture.

I am, etc.,

A. TERRELONGE

antlonge@gmail.com