KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator Ruel Reid, says the Government, through the National Parenting Support Commission (NPSC), is committed to providing parents with the necessary training and support to raise their children, as a first line of defence against crime.

“It is no longer the Ministry of National Security (only) that is really going to arrest the crime problem in Jamaica. It is the (Education) Ministry, through the NPSC, because we have to change behaviour so that we have positive behaviour,” he said.

Reid, who was speaking at the media launch of National Parent Month 2017 yesterday at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in Kingston, said that responsible and effective parenting can help in avoiding future delinquency.

“We have a situation where homes are broken and a lot of children fall between the cracks. There is a good chance that these (children) will grow up to be criminals and repeat offenders,” he argued.

The NPSC has collaborated with public- and private-sector entities on various programmes to engage and train parents in effective parenting techniques.

Among them are the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education’s Parenting Education Project; the National Integrity Action’s ‘Take the Time’ marketing campaign; and the Ministry of Education’s Safe Schools project.

“National Parenting Month enables us to give more targeted focus on the various ways in which we can help each other to create a better society,” the minister said.

Annually observed in November, the month seeks to recognise and celebrate the important role of parents/guardians in society.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NPSC, Kaysia Kerr, said the month of activities, under the theme ‘Be the Influence’, is a call to action for parents to strive to give the best care and guidance possible to their children.     

“We believe that, this year, our efforts bring with it a different energy. Whereas we see the month of November as a time to celebrate parents, we must respond in a very deliberate and targeted way to the urgencies in society that are all too clear. The NPSC must bring into focus matters related to parenting that need urgent attention and sustained efforts to improve,” she said.

The month of activities will include a church service on November 5 at the Calvary Baptist Church in Montego Bay; Parent Villages at Hope Gardens in Kingston on November 11, and November 25 in Jarrett Park, Montego Bay; and parent mentor’s community fora dubbed ‘From Street Talk to Real Talk’ in Breastworks, Portland, on November 14, and at Hermitage in St Andrew on November 30.