Holness
Expressing shock and outrage at the "brutal and callous attacks on our children", Minister of Education Andrew Holness said yesterday that steps were being taken to ensure that children were safe and secure moving to and from, and at school.
Holness said in a statement issued on the weekend that the education ministry would be intensifying its efforts to work through schools to sensitise parents and teachers to ways to keep children safe from predators.
"We have already started to take steps to address the issue of the safety of our schools with the recent dissemination of safety and security guidelines to schools. Ultimately, we hope to have schools recognised in law as 'safe zones'," said Holness. "This will mean that certain acts would be prohibited and treated as criminal once committed within the designated safe zone," he added.
Tips
The education minister said in the months ahead, representatives of the ministry will be discussing the safety and security guidelines with several stakeholder groups across the country. He encouraged parents to bear in mind simple tips such as:
Teach your children to run away from danger, never towards it. Teach your children to turn around and run to you or another trusted adult if they are ever followed in a vehicle. Try to avoid letting your children travel alone, and always supervise your young children or make sure there is a trusted adult present to supervise them if you cannot.> Know where your children are and who they are with at all times. Remind children never to take anything from strangers. Talk openly to your children about safety.
Lest we forget, teachers matter
King
As the world today celebrates World Teachers' Day, the Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA) has reiterated that teachers need to be properly remunerated and trained.
World Teachers' Day was inaugurated in 1993 by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Today is being celebrated under the theme 'Teachers Matter'.
"Teachers matter, so it is important that as a country, we build a teaching force that is highly trained, properly paid and highly motivated," said Doran Dixon, president of the JTA.
He added: "We must seek to attract and retain the brightest and best graduates in the profession so that classrooms in every locale in Jamaica have highly qualified teachers so that these classrooms become places where children are enabled to become independent, enthusiastic and successful lifelong learners."
Education Minister Andrew Holness said the theme for World Teachers' Day is apt and it prompts us to reflect on the fundamental contribution that teachers make to nation building. Teaching, he said, is more than a job, it is a calling.
Challenges
According to Holness, teacher shortages, insufficient training, society's lack of respect for the profession, and the appropriate policies to address these challenges, constitute the international focus of World Teachers' Day.
"In addition to these issues, Jamaica must grapple with diminished safety and security of teachers as the incidence of violence and anti-social behaviour in schools rises," said Holness.
He said that the Government understood the challenges teachers faced and remained committed to providing the policy framework and institutional support necessary to ensure their success.
