Only educational intervention will solve crime

THE EDITOR, Madam:

A common feature of low-crime nations is that they are well educated, and a common feature of well-educated nations is that they are low-crime.

If we accept that we are all products of what we have learnt, given that we all came into the world knowing nothing, then we have to accept that a high crime rate is evidence of a significant gap in education, and further, a failure in the efforts necessary to confront and overcome this challenge. Against that background, education is of extreme significance in national security in a modern society.

It seems to me, therefore, that beyond providing our people with the academic competence to pursue careers – which is not being well done right now given, what we are getting at the end of high schools – education has to become equally an exercise in civilising our people, which is a gap that is not being properly addressed, given our crime rate. This requires a new orientation to how we educate our people.

Hopefully, that change will come sooner than later, despite the difficulties. We must appreciate that the progress we need will not come by the things that are easy to do, but by doing the things that are difficult.

As long as we continue to do things the same way, the results will remain unchanged – according to Albert Einstein.

WINSTON FOSTER

Chairman, Albert Town High School