Crime in the Caribbean: Skerrit calls for review of education system
Dominica’s Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, has called for a review of the Caribbean’s education sector.
Skerrit remarked, speaking on a panel of CARICOM officials at the Regional Symposium: Violence as a Public Health Issue – The CARICOM Challenge, that a review of the school system could assist address the core cause of violence.
He claimed that our educational systems are only concerned with exam success.
“There is absolutely no time in the five hours or so that the students spend in the school setting for anything related to the children’s well-being and welfare.”
“We don’t take the time to understand where they’re coming from in terms of their economic situation or to appreciate their behaviors in the classroom,” he says.
He stated that an urgent evaluation is required, and that it would help to dry up the recruitment ground for aggressive behavior.
He stated that anti-social behavior could escalate to violence and the use of firearms and other weapons.
Sports and physical education, according to Skerrit, have taken a back seat, and extracurricular activities in the classroom are no longer available as greater focus is placed on academic performance.
“We brag about the percentage of passes at CXC, but we ignore the 20 or 30 percent who did not make it to the matriculation level,” he remarked.
“We are focused on those who perform well academically, but we fail to pay attention to our children’s mental and emotional health.”
Skeritt stated, when asked about parents, guardians, church, and the business sector, that we have abdicated our responsibilities in caring for our children.