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by John Kennedy. Institutions, Involvement and Integration. When I was at school it was the three R's that mattered now it appears some people want to blame poor performance at school on the colour or should I say race of the teacher, headmaster/mistress and board of governors. Segregation will not solve the problems experienced in some minority communities nor will having a teacher of the same colour, for where do you stop, because surely logic would dictate that if for example a black child could only be taught by a black teacher, then could only a black adult be employed by a black employer ? In fact the root cause of the present social ills we have in society is exactly this kind of thinking. The last Mayor and his close adviser Lee Jasper failed to reduce knife and gun crime on the street's of London, after eight long years in power you would have thought that they should have something to show for their policies. We should be seeking to integrate both black and white children and not create a form of back door segregation within these shores. I find it odd that people who rightly lambasted and campaigned against the apartheid regime in South Africa call for segregation from white people in education based on poor performance at school. Maybe the solution might be to get involved in the schooling of children, become a school governor, ensure a child does his or her home work, know where a child is when they go out, know your child's friends but more importantly get to know their parents. The problem's faced by members of minority groups are the same problems faced by the lower classes, bad housing, lack of opportunity, bad education, bad parenting, crime and anti social behaviour. All communities should be working together to create a better life for all our young people and not subdividing themselves into smaller groups that become marginalised at the sidelines of the political spectrum. When you only bang the drum for one group you in fact create resentment amongst others and then the gulf widens between groups and segregation begins. Where ever you might be at this moment in time get involved in tried and tested institutions that work, be they trade unions, staff associations, political parties or the local women's institute get a real voice and ignore those that tell you these are not for you. Stand shoulder to shoulder with your fellow black or white man or women and never be afraid to speak your mind. Get involved and become part of the solution to problems we all face on a daily basis and never give up on yourself or a child. I will never forget the three R's so let us all try and remember the three I's, Institutions that work, Involvement in our children's education or maybe our own further education and finally Integration, if we all work towards this goal we can "all" deliver a better United Kingdom
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