Dear Editor,

I was shocked, to put it mildly, when I read the Jamaica Observer’s story about the debacle at Ascot Primary School, where students with higher Primary Exit Profile (PEP) grades were allowed to graduate in gowns while others graduated in school uniforms.

Whose idea was this? Did the principal sign off on it? No amount of public relations can redeem Ascot from this stain. It is a terrible mark against this government-run primary school, and will be remembered for decades.

It is unbelievable that no one recognised that such a decision would result in blatant discrimination against and humiliation for the uniformed students and their parents. I had to check to find out if we were somehow pushed back to 1947. Then, black children were not accommodated in some schools, and the haves made it difficult for the have-nots.

Teachers, I believe, should know that some children are late bloomers and they should be given all the encouragement possible. When these children excel in life they are the ones who will not only go back to say thanks, but return to make donations. When we insult them, as has been done at Ascot Primary School, what do we expect from them?

To the affected parents, please encourage the little ones, and watch them shine later.

I hope other schools will learn from the stain Ascot has caused itself.

Peter Brown

Portmore

St Catherine