What do you think of the small-class policy proposed for primary schools? Most of my education has been received in large classes. I only had some English lessons in small classes. I strongly agree that the small-class policy should be adopted for primary schools. Students in primary school know little about the world. They usually ask a lot of questions. If they are shy and in a large class, they may be discouraged from asking such questions, because they are afraid classmates will laugh at them. It is easier for teachers to maintain control if there are fewer pupils in the class and there is a greater opportunity for pupils to discuss issues. This can help improve the self-learning skills of students because, through such discussions, they can learn more about themselves. With smaller class sizes, students can get more involved and can more easily express their opinions. This can help them to grow in confidence. Also, teachers can develop a closer relationship with students and this will help them to know more about students, which is especially useful if the students have domestic or friendship problems. Jasmine Wong, Lai Chi Kok What do you think of the nude photos scandal? I think this incident has exposed social problems in Hong Kong. It does not just concern Edison Chen Koon-hei. It concerns all Hong Kong people. We should not blame Chen and other people in the photos, who were victims. These photos were intended for private use and were taken and put on the internet without Chen's consent. I think some exaggerated media reports made things worse. The government should monitor the internet and introduce appropriate legislation because at the moment the internet is out of control. I hope the victims in this incident can recover from what has happened. Jason Pang, Tseung Kwan O Edison Chen Koon-hei may have failed as a role model, but, as a public figure, he fulfilled his responsibilities. He returned to Hong Kong last month and I think he should be praised for his public apology over what happened. He was, after all, a victim. These photos were very private and although Chen took them, he did not intend that they should be seen by anyone else. This scandal has not had much effect on my attitude towards sex and marriage. I think young people have their own concepts and know what is suitable for them. Mok Wing-to, Fanling At what age is it OK to leave children home alone? There have been a number of news reports about parents leaving young children at home alone. This raises the question of what is a suitable age to leave children alone and as each child is different, it is not easy to come up with a specific age. Parents must determine if it is okay to leave a child alone. However, they should not leave a child alone for long periods. They must act in a responsible way and tell their children when they will be back. Peggy Leung Pui-ki, Tseung Kwan O Should repeat animal abusers be barred from owning pets? There have been a number of news reports about cruelty to pets. In some cases, the animals have died. Some people who are frustrated with their lives take it out on their pets. People should realise that the lives of their pets are precious and they have a moral responsibility to look after them. The government should pass a law that ensures repeat offenders who abuse animals are not allowed to own pets again. A person initially found guilty of cruelty towards an animal, rather than being fined, should be given the appropriate counselling. Parents should lead by example, so that young people grow up respecting animals. All pets deserve to be looked after by a loving family. Wong Lai-fa, Kwun Tong On other matters ... The government has been trying to encourage equal opportunities in Hong Kong through programmes educating employers so they understand that everyone has an opportunity to help with the betterment of the city. Unfortunately, during the Lunar New Year it has become clear to me that the mainland outshines Hong Kong in this area. My mother, who is 70, arrived at the airport, presented her passport at the MTR counter and was given her senior Octopus card without any problems. However, it was a different story at Ocean Park. Hong Kong residents over the age of 65 are entitled to free entry, but non-residents over 65 have to pay to get in. The Ocean Park policy is its way of saying thank you to all the elderly who helped Hong Kong grow. However, this policy does not extend to overseas visitors over 65. Hong Kong's Disneyland may be expensive to get to, and admission charges are high, but it does offer discounts to all visitors over 65 regardless of where they come from. The biggest surprise to me was that at the Shenzhen theme park Window of the World, anyone over the age of 70 gets in free. No matter which country you are from, if you are over 70 and show your passport, you will get in free. I think Ocean Park's policy is discriminatory. People from all over the world will be coming to the mainland and Hong Kong for the Olympic Games. What sort of message do we want to send to elderly visitors if they are charged for entry to Ocean Park? M. Weir, Shau Kei Wan Why is it that so few restaurants in Hong Kong have high chairs available? It is very common for restaurants in other countries to have high chairs and I do not understand why Hong Kong restaurants do not provide these. Kara Arnaudy, The Peak A hefty increase on the duty in tobacco in Hong Kong may help limit smoking, and thus limit disease and deaths from the damage smoking causes. However, many Hong Kong residents regularly bring in their full allowance of duty-free tobacco products at our frontier crossings. Isn't it time that we abolished the duty-free tobacco allowance in the hope of discouraging this unhealthy trade? Paul Surtees, Mid-Levels
