Violence – threat to education

A major threat to delivering quality education to students is violence in schools.{{more}}

This point was made by chief education officer Lou-Anne Gilchrist, while addressing the audience at the National Awards Ceremony on Tuesday.

In her welcome remarks, Gilchrist noted that while one must celebrate the accomplishments of students, a blind eye should not be cast on problems affecting the educational system.

“While we celebrate the accomplishments of our students, let us not be so dazzled by their accomplishments that we lose sight of the fact that there are problems plaguing the education system, that there are problems plaguing our society,” she said. “One of the most serious threats today to delivering quality education is presented to us by that scourge: violence in schools.”

As the chief education officer passionately addressed the topic of violence in schools, she noted that one way to combat this threat is to try to alleviate poverty.

“We know that poor educational outcomes are linked to poor socio-economic conditions,” Gilchrist said. “One of the principal objectives of education is to improve equity and equality. Another principal objective is to reduce, if not eliminate, poverty. We want to improve or increase equality; we want to reduce the incidence of crime and violence in our schools. They are presenting a serious threat.”

In closing, she urged the parents and other stakeholders to work with the Ministry of Education in a conscious effort to eliminate violence in the schools. (BK)