The recent news on GCE(OL) maths paper and The Island editorial on 17th December sadly reveal the crisis facing our country. The present situation only brings shame on the country I was born, brought up and educated. I whole-heartedly agree with the editorial warning: "What we have witnessed at this

year’s GCE (O/L) examination is only one aspect of a deep crisis afflicting the education sector. Unless a national effort is made to reverse the frightful trend, nothing is going to stop our march towards a nation of ignoramuses fit only for politics."

I was further shocked to learn the gravity of the problem by reading the article by Tara De Mel, the former Secretary to the Ministry of Education in today’s Island. She says, "Surely Commissioners (and other officials of the Ministry) would get endorsement of key policy decisions -like in this case significant alteration in the Maths paper- from their superiors like the Ministry Secretary or the Minister himself." Everybody knows that consulting a panel of experts is necessary for taking informed decisions. Does this mean that the Ministry of Education takes decisions without consulting such experts? Is this the way our government departments function? Aren’t there any experts involved in the process of policy making? Why have we allowed our government institutions to play with our children’s future in this way?  I strongly feel that it is this process of policy making that is responsible for the problems our country is faced with.