Church Urged To Increase Partnership With Education Sector
By: , June 28, 2022
Photo: Dave Reid
Minister of Education and Youth, Hon. Fayval Williams, addresses the congregation at the Power of Faith Ministries in Portmore on June 26.The Full Story
The Ministry of Education and Youth is calling for greater partnership with the church in addressing indiscipline in schools.
Portfolio Minister, Hon. Fayval Williams, said the church has a significant role to play in influencing behaviour change and instilling positive values and attitudes in the youth.
“So, we have reached out to our stakeholders to join hands with us as we seek to reinforce to our children, the importance of respect for themselves and respect for others, which will be manifested in how we interact with and treat each other,” she said.
Minister Williams was addressing a service at the Power of Faith Ministries in Portmore, St. Catherine on June 26.
She invited the church to share its perspectives on the implementation of the character education programme in schools.
The programme, which is to be introduced as part of the public-school curriculum, seeks to instill good moral values in students.
“Schools must place a priority on character development and the development of attributes that will help them to be responsible, productive citizens in the future,” Mrs. Williams said.
“Beyond a strong foundation in literacy, numeracy, and scientific knowledge, we also want our students to be committed to something bigger than their personal [and] social progress, and prosperity,” she added.
Minister Williams announced the character education programme in Parliament in April 2021.
Under the initiative, students will be taught ethics, honesty, responsibility, accountability, and good moral values intended to make them upstanding citizens.“We will design, develop and implement the curriculum for character education, and we will give it the same importance we give to literacy and numeracy,” she said, noting that there will be exams in the subject area.
Mrs. Williams’ visit to Power of Faith Ministries was part of a drive to spur greater church community involvement in national life, especially as it relates to addressing indiscipline in the society, particularly in schools.
