YOUR VIEWS
CONGRATULATIONS on your editorial and article on students’ mental health issues (GCB 10/8).
Misbehaving pupils, suspensions, exclusions. The statistics are just getting worse by the year.
Our education system is visibly snowballing down the slope into total irrelevance as schools do not teach the most important aspect of life: values.
It is as simple as that. And it has precious little to do with the “3Rs”!
You might ask what have human values to do with education? Blame the parents instead. Parents don’t see their kids most of the day!
The blame lies squarely with governments. Chasing the mother back to work, for whatever reason, and not providing a safe environment to nurture her child is a crime against humanity. End result: declining birthrates.
Schools mirror society and vice versa. The children are not stupid. They grow up in stress and rebel. They can see very well the futility of this whole set-up and they don’t want to be part of it!
Can you blame them? Anything and everything that was tried in Queensland schools to remedy students’ behaviour and make education successful has been a waste of time.
Meanwhile, the most important values keep being ignored, our society is deteriorating fast. Systems that made this country great in the past are crumbling in front of our eyes.
AGNES ADORJAN, SURFERS PARADISE
OUTLANDISH proposals for the future use of Springbrook Manor, from a home for abused women to a major tourism project, do not suit the isolation of the site from transport, lack of infrastructure of water and sewage or distance from essential services.
With some investment in renovations, it would appear that the Manor could be a good potential venue for a genuine eco-tourism opportunity, such as accommodation for international researchers and/or rainforest restoration tourists. Queensland Parks and Wildlife might not only gain from the research expertise, but might also save money by using the energies of ecotourists and volunteers to help remove weeds and restore ecosystems. Day visitors could be trained in weed eradication and enjoy the benefits of an outdoor gym, such as those known as Green Gyms in the UK.
It is good that the Queensland Labor Government is protecting it in the meantime, and hopefully giving careful consideration to the potential use of the property. If we can afford to fix it and use it sustainably then it will have been worth the wait.
As noted in your article, not only did the Palaszczuk Government commit to no asset sales, but also they would lose money if they did sell this property without first investing much more money. Labor Governments over the past 25 years have committed to saving some of Queensland’s special places, of which Springbrook is most certainly one of the most outstanding. We should be congratulating them, not berating their efforts.