The Editor, Sir:

Having read Carolyn Cooper's response to the education minister's decree that books with expletives be banned, I am moved to comment.

I remember reading these books as a very average 'lit' student and I always felt it strange reading swear words in these books or poems.

However, what that did for me was allow me to realise that the characters were real (this is how people talk daily), and actually enabled me to see that words were not innately 'bad', but depends largely on usage.

I do believe that this is a hasty, ill-conceived idea that puts the honourable minister on a slippery slope. Where will it stop?

Will books allow dirty talk? Smoking? Violence? Taking the Lord's name in vain? Drunkenness?

The route the minister needs to take is to establish a panel of teachers to judge books and take advice from them. If the minister feels that a book has offensive material, he simply needs to create proper channels for parents to voice their disapproval.

A body of professionals (teachers), would then assess the content of the book on its literary merits and recommend its retention, revision or removal.

This is a far more rational approach to the issue and isolates the minister from these minor issues in education, while allowing him time to focus on overcrowded, under-resourced classrooms, and underpaid, overworked teachers.

Banning books is only one short step from burning them! History has taught us a lot about the kinds of people who burnt books!

I am, etc.,

MEGEL R. BARKER

admin@mathsmotorway.com