Fluency in English is central to comprehension in all other subjects, including mathematics. Our textbooks in all subjects are written in standard English, and it is in this language that students will be examined eventually. A mere 50 years ago, even if all the education a child had was in primary school, that child spoke standard English, and carried that into adulthood with him or her. You can hear it even today when some elderly people are interviewed on TV.

Traditionally, the core issue has been getting students to commu-nicate fluently in standard English. This issue remains very much alive, but there are now two companion issues: first, that many infant- and primary-school teachers are not comfortable with standard English; and second, discipline at school has almost completely broken down. There are a large number of schoolchildren who experience discipline as an attack against them, which they think gives them the right to retaliate in whatever way they can. This is now a cultural norm and they find ready support from parents, adult relatives and many others from their communities.

Addressing this dilemma therefore requires action on three fronts simultaneously. These are teaching standard English to students, getting teachers to use standard English more and dealing with indiscipline at the school.

Strengthen their hand

To the extent that our political leaders have joined the fray, they have tended to strengthen the hand of parents who feel that teachers have no right to discipline their children; and of those students who understand very clearly the limits recently imposed upon what were hitherto teachers' rights over them.

The current minister has expressed the need for a separate institution for disruptive students. However, I am not aware that this has come on stream as yet, and I wonder what form discipline (if any) would take in such an institution. Furthermore, there is yet to be defined the procedure for a school principal to declare a student as disruptive.

Salary issues aside, this is not a good time to be a teacher.

I am, etc.,

CEDRIC B. HAROLD

cbharold@cwjamaica.com