testing to help to whittle down the number of candidates who have applied for top posts in the new senior secondary school and in the new middle schools.

At least one teacher has spoken out against the move, saying it is demeaning and a "typical approach'' when education officials "don't know what to do''.

But occupational testing of the kind planned for the school posts is not unusual when an employer is attempting to hire senior staff. It can give insight into the problem-solving abilities of applicants and is one of the few objective measures in a highly subjective process.

That does not mean that it should be the deciding factor, either in the shortlisting of applicants or in the final selection. A person who does well in a written test will not necessarily prove to be a good administrator or leader; equally, a person who performs poorly may well have other strengths which outweigh the tests results.

But surely no-one can complain if the selection process for senior staff, particularly at Cedarbridge Academy, is as exhaustive and rigorous as possible.

The new school represents a vast and controversial investment by Government on behalf of the community, but in the end the millions of dollars poured into the site will mean nothing if those entrusted with the school's administration fail.

Given the uncertainty the school has engendered in the community up to now, the fact that 17 people have applied for the three deputy principals' posts is something of a vote of confidence, at least from the teaching profession. As one of the three successful applicants may well end up leading the school, it is crucial that the right choices are made -- and if that means that the teachers have to take a few tests, then what's wrong with that? BY-ELECTION BIL EDT RG P4 11.10.1996 By-election By the time you read this, the Devonshire North by-election will have been decided.

Several issues have come up in the campaign that the victor -- and the losers -- should continue to pursue. Former Speaker of the US House of Representatives Tip O'Neill said "all politics are local'' and the by-election campaign has once again proven the truth of this axiom.

The major "national'' concerns during canvassing appear to have been drugs, crime and the economy in that order, and for the voters in Devonshire North, these are very much local issues which hit very close to home in one of the least privileged constituencies on the Island. None of them are easy to solve, but in the areas of drugs and crime at least, some progress is being made.

But constituents also had a number of local concerns and these can and should be dealt with quickly. Many are to do with road repairs, the need for better road signs and more recreational areas.

Some constituents also complained that they rarely see their sitting MP, and feel taken for granted. The winner of last night's election would be well advised to give more time to the people responsible for putting him or her in the House of Assembly.