classes.

It goes without saying that the greatest influence on children comes from their parents.

In almost every case, no amount of spending on schools, teachers or other cultural influences will make up for poor parenting.

By the same token, good parenting can often make up and overcome poor schools, the influence of peers and cultural influences such as television and music.

Teachers often complain, with some justice, that they must spend more time parenting than they do teaching, and this in part is the reason for poor achievement in the schools.

This holds true for the richest and poorest segments of society. Wealthy and materially successful parents can be as neglectful of their children as poor parents forced to work more than one job to make ends meet. Broken families are common in all parts of society and the effects on children are equally destructive.

Premier Jennifer Smith is right to state that improving literacy rates is Government's first priority. Helping students to improve their academic standards will cut the risk of a lost generation coming out of the schools now -- and successful, well educated people should make better parents than those who are forced to struggle with basic literacy.

But there is no reason why parenting classes should not be run in conjunction with improving literacy.

Ms Smith noted that classes are already being offered in some schools. This is a wonderful opportunity for groups like the Family Learning Centre and the Family Resource Network, professionals like psychologists and counsellors, and private individuals who are or who have been successful parents to work with the Education Ministry to develop free or low-cost parenting classes for all parents who feel they need help.

The Education Ministry and the private sector should get together to make this happen; many budgetary concerns could be solved if the community was able to give its services at little or no cost. The result would be a solid investment in Bermuda's future.

JOINT EFFORT EDT Joint effort Where possible, private-public sector partnerships are of enormous benefit to the community.

Aside from parenting classes discussed above, the private sector strategy being discussed by the key members of the tourism industry with the encouragement of Tourism Minister David Allen is a step in the right direction.

So is the summit between Government, hotel owners and travel wholesalers which will take place today and tomorrow. If the best minds in the industry can get together to find ways to reverse the decline in the sector, there is hope for its recovery.

The Tourism Ministry is doing its part with the expansion of flights to the Island from New York, Atlanta and St. Louis. Now the private sector needs to improve service to make sure that the visitors who come to the Island enjoy it and want to come back.