THE EDITOR, Sir:

THE NEED is at present. Education is the main tool required to smash the shackles of mental slavery. From the first year in school (to the final year in tertiary institution) students should be taught about Jamaica, in addition to its history and geography, its accomplishments economically and socially in relation to its neighbours and the world, and what are the short-term and long-term goals for the nation, and what their roles as students are in the quest to attain to those goals. The mere fact of being born in the country has qualified every Jamaican as the nation's most valuable resource, and must be treated as such and be made to know that the nation needs them. Therefore, they must prepare themselves to contribute to the growth of the nation and be equitably rewarded for their contribution.

Rastafarian and other sectors in society have repeatedly denounced the 'dish runaway with the spoon' education and have agitated that it be replaced with Marcus Garvey and his philosophy, among other relevant subjects, but they have been ignored. Today, a great number of students can identify movie stars and rap artistes more readily than they do national heroes or ministers of government of this country. And they know very little or nothing about the heroes, for example. This type of education serves to keep the invisible shackles in place, it must be discredited and abandoned.

A renaissance in the way we think, teach our students, interact with one another is essential to our ridding ourselves of mental slavery, which should manifest itself in reformation of the nation. Education is the engine that will drive this renaissance and education should serve as a base contributing to stability of the nation. The socio-economic strata to which the citizenry may belong, the pigmentation of the skin or lack thereof and addresses should be of no significance in this reformed nation. Freedom from mental slavery is within each individual's grasp. But our taking hold of this freedom is dependent on how much we want to be free.

I am, etc.,

RUDOLPH PEART

South Race Course Road

Mandeville