I am deeply disturbed by the idea of Minster of Education Andrew Holness giving the primary school principals a grade 'F'. If anyone should get a grade 'F', it should be him.

How on Earth can he say that when class sizes are ridiculously large, working conditions are poor, there are not enough tools to satisfy good-quality education - such as computers and textbooks to each and every child for every subject - and no free meals irrespective of social background?

Holness, the buck stops with you, not our hard-working principals. Before you scold these principals, are you giving them adequate training in leadership management? How much support and tools did you give to these principals for them to perform effectively?

- Annett Robinson-Jones

Laurel, Maryland

Let me take this opportunity to applaud Claude Clarke on his excellent article in the Sunday Gleaner concerning our trade imbalance with the rest of the Caricom countries.

Given the extent to which Jamaican companies are disadvantaged by this regional machinery, it is surprising that we are still trying to work within this framework. Indeed, we still have an Opposition party which seems to want to 'Caribbeanise' every industry in our country. It wants us to join the Caribbean Court of Justice which has not one Jamaican judge on it but is laughably called an indigenous court!

As a Jamaican who has travelled to many Caricom territories, may I say the treatment so often meted out to us upon landing is indicative of the negative impression which these other islanders have of us. Little Barbados wants to deport Jamaicans, and every little shrub in the sea now wants us to get a visa to enter their country.

We need to stand up and be strong in asserting our businesses as the leaders in Caricom and elsewhere and stop the pussyfooting.

- Robert Collie, Kingston

Congratulations to Esther Tyson for her column 'Debunking the condom myth', published on Sunday, June 7.

No one could have better exposed and explained the issues at hand! It's about time that the ministries of health and education revert from their erroneous expectation that condoms (or contraceptives, for that matter) can solve the problems of our youth.

I sincerely hope they read Tyson's piece very carefully and take to heart her recommendations.

- Anne Arthur

amecarthur@yahoo.com

Kingston