After reading the news report of the budget-slashing the other day, a colleague e-mailed this perceptive comment:

" It is the worst fiasco I have ever witnessed and I can't think of a corporation on the planet that would not have had the CEO's head on a platter for such an ill-advised plan."

Touché…

Swell, you're so smart, you say, but what would you have them do in this digital information age?

I've used computers for two decades. I love what you can do with computers, I adore the educational and creative possibilities.

But first, I want kids to be able to read and to think, to learn to love books and create images in their heads.

I want them to learn to write simple declarative sentences, and to spell all the words correctly. And then learn to string the sentences together in an understandable narrative. It reinforces critical thinking, eh?

I want them to be able to add, subtract, multiply, and divide without the aid of an electronic device.

I want them to learn not only about Wajiristan, but where it's located on this tortured planet we call home.

These same educationists have adopted a 10-year plan to combat Quebec's shameful teenage school drop-out rate. Part of it focuses on "early literacy and numeracy intervention."

Sweet Suffering Jesus Murphy, folks, it's reading, writing, and arithmetic.