Books breaking children’s backs
THE EDITOR: I would like to draw to the attention of the Minister of Education and to the public, a situation that is developing at the Grant Memorial Presbyterian School in San Fernando. Children of the second year class (six-year-olds) are expected to carry to school, 18 copy books, a Mathematics text book, a reading book, workbooks and their normal writing stationery every single day. Normally, we the parents, are very understanding and cooperative, so some of us bought trolley bags for our children since obviously this is quite a load for a six-year-old to carry. Our understanding and patience, however, were seriously tested when a second year teacher demanded that our children tell their parents to replace the trolley bags with a back pack. They want our six-year-olds to carry at least 25 books every day on their backs. Let’s hear the child activists on this one. Do these teachers use all these books everyday? Can’t some other system be developed whereby the children do not have a carry a large number of books to school everyday? Also will the Honourable Minister of Education please investigate why our children were not given the books that were supplied by her ministry. After all the fanfare in the press about how many thousands of books were supplied to children, our children are still awaiting theirs. Are these books not good enough for our children? Why waste taxpayers’ money to buy such books then? B SINGH San Fernando
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"Books breaking children’s backs"