FINANCE AND Planning Minister Dr. Omar Davies has warned that there is no future in the world for an educationally backward population.

He has urged politicians to get "intimately involved" with the schools in their constituencies and to monitor the quality of service at these institutions.

Dr. Davies, who is also the People's National Party (PNP) Member of Parliament for South St. Andrew, made the comment Saturday night while speaking at a fund-raising dinner for the PNP's Region Three which comprises the 15 constituencies in Kingston and St. Andrew. The function was held at the Hilton Kingston Hotel, St. Andrew.

The incumbent MP, who will again run on a PNP ticket in the October 16 general election, has made education one of his priorities in his own constituency. In recent years, he has established a remedial reading programme in the primary schools in the area and told The Gleaner in a recent interview that the "results were significant". He said he will introduce the programme to the high schools in the constituency if re-elected.

He told party supporters at the fund-raiser that First World status to which Jamaica aspires, would remain elusive "unless all the political representatives become intimately involved with the education system".

"I think it's critical that each of us - whether we win or lose - get to know our schools, get to be involved with our schools, get to have an understanding of the quality of teaching," he said. "And make them aware that we are monitoring their progress," he added.

Dr. Davies stressed that it will not be achieved by the Ministry of Education alone but at the community level - from the involvement of parents. He said there were still too many parents who think educating their children is somebody else's responsibility.

Meanwhile, the Finance and Planning Minister lamented the breakdown of law and order in the Corporate Area. He charged the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation to become more effective in carrying out its mandate.

Said the Minister: "You can't have a modern country stepping forward without a modern capital city which operates in a First World manner. You can't have the capital city of a country we hope to market to the world, characterised by crime and violence and indiscipline". Tackling the problem must be a major objective of Region Three and the political organisation," Dr. Davies stated.

Noting that events in the world, including the terrorist attacks on the United States last year, point to a "challenging future", Dr. Davies urged the electorate to make the right decision in the upcoming election.

Pointing out that the opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) has never dealt with complex matters of finance, except as it relates to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, Dr Davies urged the electorate to determine which team (PNP or JLP) was more capable of dealing with the impending challenges.

"You are not going to win everyone (of the challenges) but which team would you place your trust and confidence in?" he asked.

"Look at the teams, look at our track record, what are the issues that have faced them and how have they dealt with them," he beseeched. "I don't want anybody to ever say they were misled and they weren't warned. The next five years are going to be challenging years in terms of managing the economy in this new world order," he said.