Gov’t takes values and attitudes programme to schools
WESTERN BUREAU — The government is taking its values and attitudes programme to the nation’s secondary schools to deal with the breakdown of discipline and acts of violence.
Dubbed Personal Development for Secondary Schools, the initiative will be administered by the National Youth Service (NYS).
“The programme really comes against the background of the problems in the schools in terms of governance, the violence problem and the general disorderly conduct that takes place from time to time,” Rev Adinhair Jones, NYS director told the Observer.
The programme, said Jones, is expected to sensitise the entire secondary school population along five critical areas:
* self-development and inter-personal skills;
* proper work ethics;
* conflict resolutions;
* family life; and
* citizenship.
Rev Jones said activity manuals have been developed by the HEART Trust/ NTA and will be distributed to all the secondary schools throughout the island.
“The schools are expected to either designate a session per week for working with the manual or make it a part of their extra-curricular activities, whether it may be Girl Guide, Cadet, ISCF (Inter Schools Christian Fellowship)…,” Rev Jones explained.
“The view is to bring the students together so that they can work through the activities in the manuals and learn the skills and the values that are embedded in them,” he added.
He said secondary schools across the island are now very excited about the planned implementation of the programme and the NYS is confident that it will help to rebuild proper values and attitude in these educational institutions.
But before the programme begins in the schools, special workshops will be held for teachers/facilitators to discuss the contents of the manuals.
“The teachers/facilitators will be given the responsibility of making sure that the manual becomes a part of the school curriculum,” Jones said.
The first workshop will be held in Kingston next week.