THE EDITOR: The Caribbean region has endured a continuing escalation of crime, murders and general lawlessness. Although a few leaders have proclaimed crime to be a public health issue, citizens have not seen any intervention to protect the public and to cure the perpetrators of their criminal habits.

So far most attention has been directed to policing. However, I am of the view that we need to carefully evaluate the means and processes for socialising our young people into behaviour that meets the expectations of law-abiding citizens.

The uppermost goal for socialising our youth should be to develop their consciences so that they develop a tendency to associate guilt with lawlessness and be able to exercise self-control to refrain from wrongdoing. Our youth must learn to be patriotic, to be honest and caring, and to recognise that they are part of a community.

So far all fingers have pointed to parents for nurturing peaceful and productive behaviours among children, and we close our eyes to the fact that many parents are themselves in need of guidance about peaceful behaviour. Some other parents use draconian child-rearing methods that do more harm than good, and hinder the development of the conscience.

However, all is not lost because we still have the school system in which it is generally compulsory to attend school between the ages of five to 15. I am suggesting that we initiate immediate reforms to introduce programmes of moral education in schools throughout the region. I do not mean religious education which is a study of religions, but rather I recommend that:

1. One period per week should be devoted to discussions and reflections on topical moral issues, which are topical issues of right and wrong that occur in the society. Students should be asked to undertake case studies of both exemplary and disgraceful people and identify ways of building a sense of community. They should comment on the impact of the words and attitudes of their leaders in fostering peace.

2. The school should engage students in a range of activities. For example, students should be involved in maintaining and cleaning the buildings and compounds. Students should identify and take care of disadvantaged people within the community.

3. School activities should seek to confront young people with the consequences of crime, and should include visits to the courts and to places where young people are incarcerated. There should also be visits to various parts of the country so that youths will learn to appreciate their land and heritage.

4. All young people should be taught avocational subjects that can give them the foundation for lifetime pastimes and hobbies to include music, writing and the visual arts.

These initiatives will require retraining and reorienting of all school and educational personnel. After all, many of us firmly believe that the aim of all general education is to form character and produce good citizens, so here is the challenge.