Dear Editor,

The current Television Jamaica programme All Together Sing is just another flimflam to use students to generate revenue for the major sponsors. It has very little to with talent and developing the young voices of students.

I watch with disgust as students walk around with containers soliciting money to vote. They also mount major fund-raisers weekly to get funds to submit votes to get an opportunity to win $1,000,000. I was surprised to hear from one of the choirs that made it to the top five that they spent over $70,000 voting for one week just to stay in the competition; and they fell way below the choir that had the most votes.

But who exactly is generating the funds to buy these phone cards to vote? It is the students who have to put on concerts, go into the town centres with varying size containers.

I am saddened that school administrators and the Ministry of Education have allowed this to continue. For a school to be in the top three, it may well have to spend upwards of $250,000 in voting, not considering their travelling, costumes, and other expenses. Wouldn’t it be better if these choirs found a way to use those funds to develop themselves?

Fabian Thomas

Fabesthomas1st@yahoo.com