KINGSTON, Jamaica— Minister of Education and Youth, Favyval Wiliams believes the addition of civics to the curricula in September will assist in tackling some of the social ills that Jamaica currently faces, including the violence that permeates the society.

According to Williams, who on Sunday, was speaking at the funeral service of the five members of a Clarendon family who were murdered last month, everything is in place for the start of the new school year, with the civics curriculum already completed.

She said this will be among the initiatives undertaken by the Ministry of Education to assist with the island’s crime problem, with another being the teaching of character education, in the absence of classes being offered in emotional competence.

“For the upcoming school year, we will be rolling out civics as a discreet subject. The final curriculum is ready. We need more than competence in math, reading and writing. We need to teach children the values and virtues that will enable them to navigate their way in any circumstance in which they find themselves, without resorting to violence.

“(We) hope that this will help to turn a new leaf in the minds and hearts of those who believe violence is the only way to solve a problem. It is about transforming Jamaica into a developed society with its citizens having stable personality traits that allow us to interact with each other without primal violence,” Williams said.

She offered her support to the family of the quintet, who were killed on the night of June 20 by their cousin, 23-year-old Rushane Barnett, who pleaded guilty to the murders last week in court. The five are 31-year-old Kemesha Wright and her four children — Kimanda Smith, 15; Sharalee Smith, 12; Rafaella Smith, 5; and 23-month-old Kishawn Henry Jr.

Williams argued that too many Jamaicans are killing and maiming each other, with violence going deeper than the state can manage, as many of the murders are being done by individuals who have interpersonal relationships with each other.

“I would not be wrong in saying more inhumanity has been done by Jamaicans to fellow Jamaicans than any of nature’s cause. It’s not about policing, because we would have to put a policeman or woman in every home 24/7,” Williams said.

“It is about the home experience of children. It is about school. It is about the church. It’s about teaching children from very young, about communicating with each other, about coping with each other, about navigating relationships.

“Unfortunately emotional competence or emotional education is not something we teach in schools currently, but I am here to say, not yet, but in the coming school year, we are going to put effort into teaching character education because we know that education is not only about preparing for the labour market, but also about character development and social participation,” Williams added.