by PETER WICKHAM

TO SAY THAT I was disappointed by Matthew Farley's contribution that was carried in the last SUNDAY SUN would be a gross understatement. Generally, that author is measured in his pronouncements, which speak to his intelligence, training and vast experience as an educator.

On this occasion, however he has taken aim at the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT), UNICEF and this author for engaging in what he refers to as a "conspiracy to render schools in Barbados unmanageable", an accusation that is offensive for several reasons.

The "conspiracy" to which Farley refers is simply the fact that the BUT and UNICEF sought to determine the level of support for corporal punishment in Barbados, which most logical persons would consider a good thing to do at this time since we are currently engaged in an examination of our education system in this country.

Surveys are a generally accepted means of determining how people feel about an issue and it is disturbing that Farley would prefer us to be guided by the type of speculation that he engages in, instead of presenting the type of evidence that the BUT and UNICEF sponsored.

If one accepts the logic of this type of survey, then attention ought to be turned to the conclusions and the associated broadside from Farley that appears to associate the conclusion with the sponsor's opinion.

If one were to ignore the fact that the survey clearly states that it "does not necessarily reflect the opinion of either the BUT or UNICEF", one would nevertheless find it odd that any right-thinking person could conclude that a survey that demonstrates that a majority of people do not support corporal punishment in either the home or school could possibly be seen as support for the position of three agencies whose principals have expressed the exact opposite opinion in their personal capacities.

The comment that speaks most profoundly about the extent to which he is "at sea" is his statement that he "challenges (CADRES) to publish the figures to show categorically that there has been any 15 per cent shift in the number of Barbadians who support corporal punishment in our schools. BUT must tell us what is the size and composition of the sample. Were teachers among those sampled? Barbadians are being insulted by being told that only women, old people and the illiterate now support corporal punishment in schools".

It is true that Farley was not at the launch of the survey, but he must also have been asleep over the past week since he missed the publication of the full report which was widely distributed among journalists, reported on in every section of the media and even reproduced in full on one of the blogs. The introductory sections clearly specify such details. However, at no time does the report state that a majority of Barbadians support corporal punishment, and one wonders where Farley conjured up such ideas.

In recent times I have been challenged by THE NATION (as is its right) for overstepping what could be considered fair comment on the behaviour of politicians, and I cannot help but be disappointed that these same editors permitted Farley to print this series of allegations that reflect poorly on the integrity of UNICEF, the BUT and CADRES.

Surveys aside, the most illogical feature of Farley's position is reflected in his assumption that without corporal punishment our schools would become unmanageable, and in this regard he attempts to demonstrate that the systems in the United States, Britain and Sweden have become similarly unmanageable.

He, however, needs to explain why in this country, corporal punishment is not used in three schools and all of these can demonstrate higher levels of discipline and better scholastic performance than his school, where corporal punishment is used.

Instead of taking swipes at those who seek a better understanding of these issues, Farley should perhaps wrap his enormous intellect around this perplexing contradiction.

* Peter W. Wickham (peter.wickham@caribsurf.com) is a political consultant and a director of Caribbean Development Research Services (CADRES).