THE EDITOR, Sir:

I have read with interest Mr O. Hilaire Sobers' recent article titled 'School or revival tent'. I also listened to the discussion on Nationwide between principal Ruel Reid, Mr Sobers and Cliff Hughes on the evening of February 26, 2013.

In response to Mr Sobers' concerns, I would like to say the following:

It is well known that since Mr Reid introduced this spiritual emphasis into the life of Jamaica College, there has been a notable change in the behaviour of students. There has been a significant reduction of student violence among the young men, who now deport themselves with decency and decorum.

It may well be that this is the only opportunity that some students will have to be exposed to an informed perspective on the God who created them and of His love for them.

Principal Reid's first duty is to his God and then to his fellow man, of which he is well aware. The crusade initiative brings balance and causes the student to contemplate not only his intellectual options, but also the moral and spiritual issues that confront him.

In my opinion, the attack on Mr Reid's person and on his denomination was very unfortunate. May I remind Mr Sobers that many notable institutions of higher learning which have done much for critical thinking and world development were Bible based. These include Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Edinburgh and Oxford.

ERAL A. LEWIS (Rev Dr)

lewis.eral@gmail.com