IN a Jamaica where men are the ones increasingly at risk of antisocial and criminal behaviour, the government is to establish truancy laws and crack down on parents who fail to keep their male children in school.

“Male underperformance poses a clear and present danger to the stability of the society. The government is seized by the importance of addressing the issue in a timely fashion,” Education Minister Andrew Holness told the Sunday Observer last week.

He said the first order of business would be to launch a social campaign targeting parents. The objective of that effort, he said, would be to remind parents of their responsibilities to their children, especially their boys.

The education minister’s announcement comes amidst warnings from a number of people about the dangers posed by the marginalisation of Jamaican males.

In previous interviews with the Sunday Observer, anthropologist Dr Herbert Gayle and sociologist Dr Orville Taylor highlighted the need to address the circumstances – social and economical – of men in Jamaica. Both academics have noted that it was critical that men be given attention, particularly if Jamaica intended to get a handle on its escalating crime problem.

At the same time, recent reports out of the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, indicate that males account for a mere 18 per cent of its student population, strengthening ongoing debates about the ‘feminisation’ of tertiary education in Jamaica.

It is against this background that the government is moving to focus on parenting skills, even as it addresses the lack of opportunities for men in the society.

Holness said the education ministry was planning to put in place the necessary structural framework that would maximise the benefits of an education campaign.

“Already, significant work has been done in developing a parenting policy. We intend to augment that work by developing the institutional framework to ensure that parents (take seriously) their role in educating their children,” said Holness.

“That would include first and foremost a public education campaign, a coordination of all the agencies that deal with parenting issues – and I would single out for that the Child Development Agency (CDA), the National Parent-Teachers’ Association, and the Coalition for Better Parents. And then, of course, the development of truancy laws and as a last resort, enforcement where necessary.”

It was not immediately clear when the plans should reach fruition. As to the cost, the minister said it would form part of a revised budget that sees an increased allocation to the island’s education sector.

“All these things will have a price tag attached to it, but it will be a part of the government’s commitment to increase the allocation to education,” he told the Sunday Observer.