ELEMIYA PHIRI, Lusaka.

Dear Editor, IT is after a deep meditation about the government's decision to reduce the school user fees that I do strongly recommend and praise it because this will give every person an opportunity in the acquisition of knowledge and skills.

This will kindle the flame of development as well as good values and habits.

It is with this that our society will be more and more a better place to experience and enjoy the beauty of life at its best, for an educated society moves and breeds development while an unneducated society is retrogressive and underdeveloped.

It is in this line that Greek Philosopher Plato contends that, "If a man neglects education, he walks lame to the end of his life."

Therefore, the development of any society or country lies in the education of its people.

This move by government is vital because an educated society or country gives path to a better political ideology as its leaders understand what is good and bad for the nation's development.

This in turn builds a good and strong sense of unity by all as each person contributes positively to the standards of living in different ways and professions acquired from the formal education offered or imparted by schools.

Therefore, I challenge all parents, guardians, traditional leaders, church leaders and everyone in any type of leadership to encourage, support and see to it that young people understand and come to treasure education has shown by government through its efforts to make it easy for everyone to attain to attain the knowledge by reducing the school user fees.

This will make the future of our society or country to be more and more a better place to experience and enjoy the beauty of life, for awareness coming from education breeds development while ignorance makes the experience of life unpleasant and horrible.

It is in this vein that that Greek Philosopher Plato holds, "Ignorance, the root and stem of every evil."

I end with Malcom X's idea who contends that, "Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today."

SILUMESI KATONGO.