Sir: It is devastating to read reports about how some 16 percent of school going age children in Punjab are out of school. While it is sad, it is not surprising. We have no proper education system in this country. We have employed the services of untrained teachers who have been known to beat up children, we have enforced archaic methods of teaching and the textbooks for most subjects are outdated and colourless. It is little wonder children do not feel like studying. The authorities must do something for the next generation before we have more illiterates running around to shame the future of this country. ALI JAFAR Lahore