One size doesn’t fit all – some just want a basic education

Now we have our own telling us what we will do and taking away that freedom they fought for. Perhaps someone should send our politicians (well, those on Education and their supporters) on a course for common sense.

There has been no time in history, and there will never be a time in the future, when everyone is the same. We all have different levels of learning ability. Some are very quick at picking things up, some are slow. Some want to have an IQ of 180-plus and some are happy to just be able to read, write and count up to a reasonable level.

Everyone does not want to be at school for a quarter of their lives. There was always a cut-off point with the 11-plus. The system worked for years. Those with the ability, want and drive to do well went on to study further.

Those who were happy to get an education that saw them through enough to read, write and count enough to get them through life and who were more than happy to earn a living with their hands were left alone to do just that. No one needed or was forced into education beyond their means and ability. The split was equal enough to supply bankers and the like, with labourers and people not afraid to get their hands dirty doing something they wanted to do and were good at.

The health department should be interested in this as well. All the pressure put on children and youths today and even more so in the future is going to cause more and more mental health problems in respect of depression and anxiety among those poor souls who just cannot handle being forced to do what they either do not want to do or just cannot keep up with.

It appears the majority of the people did and still do not want a two-school system. People were happy as things were.

Every school closed down was closed under pressure from parents to leave them alone and open because they and their children were happy – but no. The dictatorship our ancestors fought against has returned, only the enemy is within.

I once read a quote saying, ‘Natural ability without education has more often raised a man to glory and virtue than education without natural ability’ (Cicero).

The people need to be left alone to decide what they want and not forced into something they are not happy with.

Also, everyone must be made aware that the island-wide voting system is a set-up as bad as the individual parish voting system was. It is designed for a number of votes/choices on a slip so people will be (and are) tempted to use them because they are there and they can. We were given a choice of which system we wanted if a change was to be made, but the offer from the government never included a one-person, one-vote choice when they put it out to be elected by the public. This system is designed for a lot of these people destroying our island to get back into power. They knew that one person, one vote would see most of them if not all of them not getting back in. Be aware that the bait hides the hook – more than one vote nullifies your first choice.

ROD HAMON

5, Rosemount,

Mont Arrive,

St Peter Port,

GY1 2AF.