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995x; Sound CUas Matt Wann- Number an Fascinating, isrtt it, the difference between image and substance? -- ._ _ es. After last week's highly-hyped but predictably disappoint- ing national televised debate featuring the leaders of Canada's three major parties (next time, invite the Rhinos), polls gave the nod hands down to Tory leader Brian Mulron- Yet four of the most astute individuals onthe University of Toronto debating team. who looked on in a controlled setting (including. horrors, black and white TV). saw things a different way in terms of debating capabilities. Two said Turner won the bout, one said Broadbent. and one said "anyone but Mulroney.“ who according to this particular U of T referee, violated nearly every rule of debating over the course of the English language night. And speaking of violation, what an outright insult to the intelligence of Canadian voters that so far the only other scheduled confrontation among the leaders is a mid-August tiff dedicated exclusively to women's issues.- Buckling under to the proposal of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women, Turner tdid he really have any choice?) agreed to an August 15 debate "run by the women, and in front of the women, or whoever they want to have there," according to Liberal campaign co-manager Bill Lee. What a stupid. pompous idea! Why not Um a debate on unemployment, run by the unemployed, and in front of the unemployed? Or a debate on nuclear disarmament. run by peaceniks, and in front of peaceniks. or whoever they want to have there? Why single out women? In the past few years, the "women's movement" as it were. has made great strides in bringing public awareness to the inequalities of our system, be they economic, social or otherwise. But groups such as the NAC undermine the progress being made by purporting to represent the wants and needs of all Canadian women. Especially the NAC, which is marvellous at trotting out selective statistics to show the disadvantaged position women in our society are placed. There is no question that many issues of vital concern to women need addressing by our next government. But these questions must be answered within the framework of our society in general, not perpetuated as "women's only" iss.ues. Because as long as they are looked upon as "wumen's issues," that is exactly what they will remain, isolated and out of synch with the rest of the real world. By all means debate equal pay for equal work, daycare, technological retraining, abortion rights and so on. But please, do so with the thought in mind that women, like men, are not islands unto themselves. _ individually signed with name. address and telephone number and will be verified tttr accuracy. No urttitpystt liners grill be publishpd Why so special? right to edit. The Chronicle welcomes letters "No one really wins a debate, they win an image contest. It's just like voting for someune because of the way they brush their teeth" - WAYEKOO tiptdttiLE_, mousse“ Letters l . ' policy It is written pubhshod every Wednesday by Funny Press. a dwmon ot Kstchqrtqr-thfatetrtoo Record Ltd . woo: 225 Funny Rd S , Kitchener. oot _ tum» corre-odrocr to Waterloo omcr " ilrb SI F. Wanda-n. 0m NU ti.7 "W as am Wotan» Cit-conch one. a loan-d m the My White Law cm But6atrtg (we: wanna. noon! loot) Pulling at In. no: 01 I. tto#atrtg ooortuoooasrtoFrtao900am m5009m The Chronicle is proud of its tradition of accuracy and fair play but does acknowledge the possibility of human error. Com structive criticism of news. Opin- ions and advertising is welcome in hopes that all complaints can be reached. Those who feel “rule: action is needed should was: their concern to the Onudo Pm Council. as: m 31.. 'ttitat m, on... OM. KM' am. UW political scientist Terrence Downy on last week's party leader debate. - SEE PAGE I Press Council Publisher Paul Winkler Manager Bill Ranges Editor Rick Campbell "ttitttltettod t854 IN THIRTY plus years as an editor. a parent. and a teacher. I have been inundated tthtrugh not quite drowned; by several waves of self styled -reform" of our educational system. especially that of Ontario. W..,.“.-._; ____r__ W Each wave has washed away some of the basic values in our system and left behind a heap of detritus. from which teachers and students eventually emerge, gaming for a breath of clean air. Most of the "massive" reforms in our system are borrowed from the U.S.. after thirty or forty years of testing there have proven them dubious. if not worthless. We have borrowed from the pragmatist, John Dewey. an American. who had some good ideas, but tried to put them into mass production, an endearing but not necessarily noble trait of our cousins below the border. We have tried the ridiculous, “See, Jane. See Spot run. Spot. see Jane vomit.“ sort at thing which completely ignores the child's demand fur heroes and witches and shining maidens, and things that go bump in the night. kd have Virivd ieaching the whole child". a process in which the teachcr hummus fa ther/mother, uncle/aunt, grandfather/grand ma, psychiatrist. buddy, confidant, and football to kick around, while the kid does what he/she damn-well pleases. And we wonder about teacher "burn-out". We have tried a system in which the children choose from a sort of Pandora's box what subjects they would like to take, and giving them a credit for each subject to which they are "exposed", whether or not they have learned anything in it, New courses were introduced with the rapidi- ty of rabbits bereeding. A kid who was cunfident that he would be a great brain smut-on took everything from basket-ieaving to bird watch. ing because they were fun. That was a bit of a disaster. Kids. like adults, chose the things that were "fun", that were "easy", that didn't have exams, that allowed them to "express their individuality." And suddenly, at about the age of seventeen, he discovered that it was necessary to know some science, mathematics, Latin. history and English to become a brain surgeon (or a novelist, or a playwright. or an engineer, etc.). Bill Smiley Levellers Syndicated columnist There are very few jobs open in basket-weaw ing and bird-watching or World Religions or another couple of dozen l could name. but won't, for fear of being beaten to death by a tizzy of teachers the day this column appears. The universities. those sacrosanct institu- tions, where the truth shall make you free, went along with the Great Deception. They lowered their standards. in a desperate scramble for live bodies. They competed for students with all the grace of merchants in an Armenian bazaar. Another swing of the pendulum. Parents discovered that their kids knuw something about a lot of things. but not much about anything. They got mad. The universities. a little red in the face suddenly and virtuously announced that many high school graduates were illiterate. which was a lot of crap. They were the people who decided that a second language was not necessary. They were the people who accepted students with a mark of 50 in English, which means the kid actually failed. but his teacher gave him a cred. it Nobody, in the now system. really I iled, If they mastered just less than half tho US/ not a 48 per cent, they were raised to 50. " they flunlwd every subject thvy took, they were transferred to another "level”, where they could succeed, and even excel. The latest of these politically-inspired, stovem ly-researched reforms in Ontario is called SEEP. and it sounds just like, and is just like NERD. Reading its contents carefully, one comes to the conclusion that if Serp is accepted. the result will be a great leveller. Out of one side of its mouth it suggests that education be compressed, try abandoning Grade 13, and out of the other side. that education be expanded by adding a lot of new things to the curriculum. How can you compress something and expand it at the same time? Only a commission on education could even suggest such a thing, There will be lots of money for “Special Education" in the new plan. There will be less money for excellence. Special Education is educational jargon for teaching stupid kids. Bright kids are looked down upon as an "elite" group, and they should be put in their place. (Continued on page "