the institution.

Walton Brown told the audience at the weekly Hamilton Lions luncheon that the college's admission policy was far too restrictive.

"We already recognise the existing educational system created a two-tiered system with one group encouraged to excel and the other having limited opportunities, with a consequent negative impact on morale,'' he said. "To deny this latter group entry into diploma course programmes seems to compound the main problem; the lack of equal educational opportunity.'' He claimed that if the college moved towards an open-door admission policy an important step will have been taken to bridge the gap.

And he maintained that the college's standards would not suffer with an open door policy.

"You makes it easier to get in, but make sure they pass a standard in order to leave and go on to a foreign institution,'' he said.

Mr. Brown also called for a reconsideration of corporal punishment in the education system's new Code of Conduct.

By using corporal punishment, he said, the public was telling students that violence and the use of force was all right.

Mr. Brown also claimed that although the voting age had been lowered to 18 for the last five years, young people had little enthusiasm for the political process.

"The persistent comment expressed is, `they don't care about us','' he said.

"Young people's political apathy is a consequence of them not seeing a place for themselves in the political process.'' Mr. Brown encouraged politicians to actively listen to young people.

And he called on adults to empower young people and advised college students to take the initiative.

"We have a good opportunity for this with the National Youth Council, but unfortunately, it has appeared moribund for years,'' he said. "That needs to be revitalised and given a real mandate.'' Mr. Brown also said the council needed a committed person, a visionary, to run it.