WHY DO Jamaicans deceive themselves into thinking that all students will pass five subjects at the Caribbean Secondary Edu-cation Certificate (CSEC) level?

R. Howard Thompson, in his letter on August 26, suggested that students who do not get good grades in the Grade Six Achievement Test can still go on to pass five subjects with help because they are not dunces.

When are we going to wake up and realise that all students are not academically inclined? Not all of them will pass subjects. What are we saying to students who are good at sports and drama and are literate? Are we saying that they cannot contribute to society because they didn't pass five subjects?

We need to accept reality and realise that some children are not book-inclined. Some will only be able to read and write, and sometimes not even well, but will never pass a subject, but those same students will do well in the practical areas. What we need to do is to improve the infrastructure at our high schools and build more technical schools so that each child, after we have assessed their abiltiy, will be able to do what he/she is good at. Give them some hope!

For those who have the ability, help them by all means, but for those who have the aptitude to do practical subjects, help them too and stop pressuring children who we know are not capapble of doing five CSEC subjects.

The same people who think that all students should pass subjects are the same ones demotivating the students who are good with their hands and not their brain. Afterall, every child will learn, but learn what?

I am, etc.,

Stacie Williams

slimmas24@hotmail.com

St Ann