Theory part of curriculum

I WRITE in reply to Chan Sing-Lai's letter headlined, ''Test students only on the facts'' (South China Morning Post, April 6).

Nowhere does anyone claim that evolution is a scientific law.

It is a theory - the theory of evolution, as is the theory of divine creation. A theory is a set of rational arguments used to try to explain observed facts.

To prove a theory and make it a law, you have to experimentally repeat it from different starting points.

To do this with evolution is impossible, we cannot re-run the earth's history from different starting points to test the theory.

Neither can the theory of divine creation be tested and made a law. As for evolution violating scientific principles, well, all theories violate scientific principles. That's how new scientific progress is made, by challenging existing conventions. And evolution violates a damn sight fewer scientific principles than divine creation does.

You are taught evolutionary theory in biology lessons, so your knowledge and understanding of it should be tested in examinations. Whether you believe it or not is absolutely irrelevant.

The examination system does not ''disfavour the majority of students from religious schools''. It only ''disfavours'' those students who stubbornly refuse to study it. It is part of the examination curriculum, you have to expect to be examined on it. Youcannot hold examination authorities to ransom because of your own religious prejudices.

Unless you understand evolution, you have no right to try to argue against it. Education is all about helping people gain an understanding of things, not about forcing people away from things because they disagree with your own personal ideas.

What are you going to do next, start burning books? To see a full, clear, layman's explanation of the theory of evolution, read The Blind Watchmaker, by Dawkins. If Mr Chan is really desperate, I will give him a copy, as long as he promises to read it, and actually tries to gain an understanding of what he seems to rail so much against.

JONATHAN HARSTON New Territories