Parenting more than a job – McLean

Chief Education Officer, Grace McLean, says parenting is more than a job, noting that with strong parenting structures, a society sits on firm values.
She said that studies have shown that children, who come from loving and stable homes, have positive values and attitudes, are highly unlikely to take part in unwholesome activities, and are more successful.
“The Ministry of Education believes that the most important thing anyone can be is a parent – a good parent. It is more than a job, a vocation or even a calling. It speaks of the transformation of values and beliefs systems,” she said, while addressing the launch of a values and attitudes programme at the Porus High School in Manchester on November 3.
She noted that parents are the first and most important teachers, and their influence determines the direction of civilization. “With good parents, our society’s future is sound and secure. Being a parent, being tasked with ensuring that a child achieves his/her potential, is an awesome responsibility,” she stated.
According to the Chief Education Officer, “the business of parenting is everyone’s business, because negative parenting can, and does have a negative impact on our national development”.
She said that the Ministry is providing greater support for parents, through the soon to be established National Parenting Policy Commission (NPSC), which will provide critical assistance to the community, and will serve to equip families with relevant information on child rearing.
“The NPSC will strengthen the institutional framework around parenting and offer increased access to parenting information and support services. The NPSC will also raise awareness of parenting issues by mounting national parenting education campaigns, better co-ordinate existing parenting programmes, and ensure that at no point, any Jamaican parent can say they did not know where to get help,” Mrs. McLean stated.
The Porus High School’s values and attitude programme aims to reinforce discipline in the school and will place focus on the core values of love, peace, honesty, tolerance, and respect.
“All students, from first form through to fifth form will be focusing on one of our target words, and (during the school year), they will be doing performances to depict each core principle,” said Principal of the school, Michael Stewart.