From time immemorial, the Church has been one of the important agents of socialisation in Jamaica. A distinctive childhood memory is attendance at Sunday/Sabbath school, whether or not your parents or guardians were present. Indeed, the old adage, it takes a village to raise a child, is even more relevant today as a community approach is required.

With the current spate of violence in schools, much blame has been levelled at poor parenting. In this regard, a quick Google search about poor parenting in Jamaica revealed the publication of several newspaper articles from 2012. A decade later, in 2022, poor parenting is the buzz word for all social ills.

Recently, I attended an online class meeting for all grade 2 students, including my 7-year-old child, at a primary school in the Corporate Area. The main message by the principal, vice-principal, grade coordinator, class teachers, and class representatives was that poor parenting is the cause of many of the school’s problems, which include bullying, stealing, lying, and fighting. No surprise there!

Poor parenting is indeed a troublesome matter. As stakeholders — the State, school, Church, community, and home — we all have a responsibility to ensure that the fundamental rights of children are upheld as detailed in the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child.

It is heart-rending and extremely painful to read about students who are stabbed at school, fatally or not. It is even more difficult to understand how affected parents will cope. The increase in vicious forms of violence in schools is abundantly apparent if we are keeping up with newscasts.

There are many short-term and long-term strategies that must be implemented for a wholesome education system. One such long-term, national, structured approach is an enhanced Sunday and Sabbath school programme. Now more than ever, a non-denominational approach is required to treat with issues that plague our society. It has been observed that many denominations have their own variations of Sunday/ Sabbath school. The implementation of a robust values and attitudes programme from a Christian perspective will be helpful in minimising some of our social ills.

What really is the purpose and relevance of the Church in today’s society? Is it to entertain? Is it to collect tithes and offering? Is it to minister to those in need, which include our children? The Church needs to radicalise its approach to ministry in order to serve the current needs of society.

At this time, a fundamental need in the Jamaican society is a good values and attitudes programme. And the Church is better suited to undertake this in a more wholesome and complimentary way than other short-term and mid-term violence prevention and positive behaviour programmes being employed by the Ministry of Education and Youth and other key stakeholders, such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the National Parenting Support Commission.

Instead of focusing on poor parenting as one of the causes of crime and violence in Jamaica, let’s conceptualise and implement meaningful strategies that can be helpful in this regard.

One strategy being purported is the national revitalisation and standardisation of Sunday and Sabbath schools. In the pre-COVID-19 era, the attendance at some of these sessions was low. Even with the reopening of schools in the current “coping with COVID-19 era”, many Sunday and Sabbath schools remain online or have not reopened in a meaningful and structured way.

Currently, the Jamaica Baptist Union is the largest user of Sunday school books published by Caribbean Christian Publications. This is a valuable resource that can be utilised in other churches with a similar doctrine or amended to suit other doctrines. Regardless, the fact of the matter is that valuable resources and structures are already in place.

However, these structures must be replicated and expanded in a national way so that all churches can hold meaningful activities that cater to children. Further to that, this standardised and revitalised approach should be marketed in such a way that attendance at Sunday/Sabbath school is second nature — almost mandatory — just like the good old days. This move can be spearheaded by the Jamaica Council of Churches in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Youth.

There are many benefits to be had from Sunday/Sabbath school.

Primarily, children stand to benefit from principled Christian education, which contributes to good values and attitudes and increased religious knowledge.

Secondly, Sunday/Sabbath school serves as a safety net in some regard because meals, refreshments, stationery, books, and even clothing are typically provided.

Thirdly, students benefit from additional literacy and numeracy lessons, which are infused in an integrated curriculum.

Fourthly, the physical environment mirrors that of the classroom, with appealing teaching aids, technology-infused delivery, and diverse seated activities.

Finally, students benefit from additional opportunities to socialise and play in a monitored setting.

The culmination of an annual Sunday/Sabbath school programme typically involves Vacation Bible School, which is taught in the summer when children are on holidays.

These are unprecedented times, and they call for us to be more steadfast, targeted, and radical in our approach to Christian ministries, of which the Sunday/Sabbath school is probably the largest ministry.

It’s time to get back to basics — all hands on deck!

Roshane Reid is a communications specialist and language educator. She is also an associate member of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or roshane.reid@gmail.com.