Mr Winston Smith, president of Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA), wants parents to be held accountable for the absence of children from the classroom.

Says Mr Smith: “[N]either the school nor the ministry can find or know where every student is, but every parent knows, or at least should know, where their child is…”

This was said in the context that thousands of children are still absent from school, three months after the resumption of face-to-face classes in January, following eased novel coronavirus pandemic restrictions.

Many Jamaicans will agree with Mr Smith.

However, in this newspaper’s view, the unpalatable reality is that such is the calamitous socio-economic situation of homes from which many Jamaican children come that holding anyone ‘responsible’ or accountable is well nigh pointless.

Those who scoff at our assertion should visit the gully banks and zinc-fence lanes of our major cities and towns, as well as the most impoverished communities of our rural areas.

In many such homes, the unemployed single mother — sometimes still in her 20s — can’t afford to support one child; yet, she has several children for different fathers, none of whom is around to help.

What’s the point of blaming this single mother? It’s an unending story. She came into this world and grew up under those very conditions.

In such circumstances school comes low on the priority list since survival comes first. The child must fend for him/herself and family. Hence, so many of our children are on the streets and in commercial centres ‘hustling’.

Children hustling and roving rather than going to school did not begin with COVID-19. Such behaviour, nourished by extreme impoverishment, inevitably accompanied by incapacity and ignorance, dates back generations with roots deep in chattel slavery.

Indeed, for many years, social scientists have pointed to the links between extreme poverty, absenteeism from school, criminality, and other antisocial behaviour.

We do not discount the value of social welfare programmes such as the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH). But such programmes do not go far enough. And, for various reasons, many who should be covered by PATH are not.

There are no easy solutions to the varied, deep-seated socio-economic problems which haunt everyday life in Jamaica. However, as we have said many times, we believe a focused, concerted effort to mobilise communities to help themselves — inclusive of leadership training — can make a big difference over the long term.

Such mass mobilisation must eschew political tribalism. It should incorporate an alliance of influential groups, including political parties, the Church, government agencies — not least the Social Development Commission, the security forces — civil society, business, trade unions, et al, led by the prime minister and his Cabinet.

Available evidence suggests that in well-organised, well-led communities, people support each other, income-generation projects become easier to execute and manage, legitimate employment is more likely, parental training becomes easier, children go to school, and criminals find no comfort.

Naysayers will argue our vision is pure illusion. But, in our view, it’s the sustainable way forward.

The job won’t be easy and it can’t be done today or tomorrow, but once begun, it can be done.