The Editor, Sir:

I wish to commend the St. James Parish Council for taking the bold stance against tobacco smoking within the confines of the parish council building.

That cigarette smoking is deleterious to one's health, even as a result of second-hand smoking, is a well-established notion. Let us hope the other local government authorities will embark on a similar move.

However, a more meaningful approach would be for the central government to ensure, in short order, that there is a total ban on cigarette smoking in all public buildings and buildings otherwise opened to the general public, including places of entertainment, across Jamaica.

On another note, I wish to support the debate being aired in the press concerning the idea of increasing the number of days within the academic school year in Jamaica. The Junior Minister of Education has announced plans to increase by five the number of days within the academic year, effective the start of the 2007/08 year.

While I support such an extension, I do not support the extension by going beyond July when schools usually go on summer recess. Instead, I support an extension by reducing the number of days given off as holidays within the school year. Any extension of the school year beyond July would be for instances where, due to inclement weather or such effects, there would be a need to make up lost days during the school year.

I see not why we have to have such long breaks for Easter and Christmas, for instance, even though these are term breaks. The Easter holiday ought not to be more than a week long, starting on the Wednesday before Holy Thursday and ending on Tuesday, the day after Easter Monday, with school reconvening the Wednesday morning.

Shorter holidays

If Christmas and New Year's Days fall on a weekday, the holiday should begin on the day before Christmas Eve and end the day after New Year's; schools then reconvene the following day. If Christmas and New Year's happen to fall on a weekend, then the schools break on the Friday (half day if necessary) and the new term begins no later than the Wednesday following New Year's Day. The school term should not have to commence on a Monday necessarily.

With respect to one day holidays, such as Labour Day and Heroes' Day, for Labour Day, schools go out on the Friday and reconvene on the Wednesday. For Heroes' Day, schools recess on the Wednesday preceding the holiday and reconvene the Monday following.

Where the length of the school day is concerned, I agree it should be extended from, say, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with seven hours of actual teaching time each day. The time period between 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. could be used for extra-curricular activities, extra lessons and the like.

I am, etc.,

KEVIN SANGSTER

sangstek@msn.com