The Editor, Sir:

The matter of graduation exercises and the buffoonery indulged in by some parents overdressing their youngsters at said ceremonies, along with the related trappings, are two separate issues. The prime minister is right in arguing that many of the requirements are not warranted. Spending $8,000 is a ridiculous extravagance in any economy and the schools should be castigated for propagating this foolishness and should be regulated by the Ministry of Education from continuing to do so.

Graduation, on the other hand, is a milestone-marking event that is necessary in the formative years of children and becomes increasingly important as they advance through their educational life. After all, school is as much about development as it is about learning.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a simple ceremony and it may do more for the child's ambition, to attain socially and educationally, than is readily obvious. Graduation is a stamp of success that says I am moving up and every transitional point on the educational continuum should be thus observed. To relegate it to a 'feel-good exercise' is to minimise the psychological value. Indeed, it is not part of the curriculum as it is not instructive in the same sense that learning to read is. It is important, however, in that it is a goal to be reached and goals are important stepping stones in the building of character and of establishing well-being.

The editorial struck a chord with the mention of percentages of those who accomplish the standards for moving on in the educational process. Is this the bigger picture? The blame for failure is not central to teachers or parents or the children themselves but in the way we approach education in general. There are few teachers who factor the different learning styles of the children in their classroom and so in general children get a one-style-fits-all approach which in this ultra-modern age is a Neanderthal methodology to learning.

Learning opportunities

Unless the child is mentally challenged by some specific deficit, he or she has intelligence that can be stimulated and formatted into learning opportunities. In seeking to reach the standard, maybe there should be a restructuring of the instructional methodology that highlights the different styles of learning. This would naturally involve the participation of parents. The child is the primary focus in education and the nation the ultimate beneficiary. Let's keep graduation, tone down the associated 'bashment' and get on with the business of educating our children.

I am, etc.,

S. Peter Campbell Sr

speterc@aol.com

Havertown, USA