Dig deeper

In an effort to quell violence in schools and among students, the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) is asking the Government to dig deeper into the public purse to employ more guidance counsellors and social workers.

JTA President Leighton Johnson was addressing yesterday’s JTA Education Week church service at the Church of Transfiguration in Meadowbrook, St Andrew.

“Prioritising education goes beyond publicising the amount of money allocated to the sector. It requires careful analysis and accurate advice to ensure that adequate attention is given to areas of concern,” the JTA president said during his address to those seated in the church and others viewing online.

“We, therefore, call on the Government to demonstrate its willingness to address this major issue of crime and violence that has the potential to cripple our nation by increasing the budgetary allocations to the Ministry of Education [and Youth] to facilitate the employment of additional guidance counsellors and social workers that are required to implement and undertake the home-based and community-based interventions,” Johnson said.

“These interventions are necessary to save our children, our communities, and our nation. Our journey toward educational equity is not without its challenges. One of the most pressing issues we face is the impact of violence on education. Violence, whether in schools or within our communities, poses a significant barrier to learning and to national development. It instills fear, disrupts classrooms and communities, it hinders the academic progress of our students and stagnates growth,” he said.

Johnson encouraged educators to continue to work tirelessly to create a safe and nurturing environment where every child and every citizen feels valued, protected, and will have access to world-class educational opportunities.

Public brawl

Johnson’s call comes just weeks after students of Corporate Area schools were involved in a public brawl at a bus stop on Molynes Road in St Andrew.

He urged the establishment of a national school bus programme as he indicated that data has revealed that many of the feuds that occur outside school gates start on what he described as ‘party buses’.

“There is the need for a multisectoral, multiministerial approach to include the Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Education to the full implementation of a national school bus programme. Fully functional state-operated school bus programmes are integral to the educational systems in other jurisdictions that we are often compared with. It is therefore urgent for all the stakeholders to demand from the state a functional school-bus system that will improve the manner in which our students commute to and from school and help in securing the safety of our children,” Johnson said.

“We urge the security forces to be consistent in thier vigilance in monitoring the buses and other means of transportation as well as the transport centres and town centres as well as the bus stops ... and apply the necessary sanctions for breaches identified,” he said.

The officiating minister at the service, Reverend Craig Mears, also touched on the multischool incident. He said it is fear of losing territory that makes students start violent interactions.

“Everybody is talking about love ... ‘A so dem love the one girl’… . What happened has nothing to do with love. It was about territory,” Mears said.

He suggested that it was important to be aware of what was at the heart of the matter in order to be able to address it. He said education should ultimately change the attitudes of not just children and parents, but of the society.

He also said that there is need for love, and sometimes love is hard.”It is to love people in a way that when you are loving them, it hurts you even to do so, but you do it because you want to be in communion with God.”

He encouraged students to pray about their struggles and challenges.

Education Week 2024 is being celebrated under the theme ‘Preserving Our Legacy: Prioritising Access and Equity in Education’. It forms part of Jamaica’s Child Month activities.

ainsworth.morris@gleanerjm.com