Letter of the Day | Fix Jamaica with what’s right with Jamaica

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Governor General Sir Patrick Allen said, “There is nothing wrong with Jamaica that cannot be fixed by what is right with Jamaica.” It is something that I always recall throughout my time in college, after venture into student governance and seeing the many ills that we as students face, and the struggles the system has to help our youth of tomorrow.

The incident of a Tivoli High School student fighting a teacher is negative on so many grounds. So much so that it is also evident that the young man really could have overthrown the teacher if he wanted to.

Let us all be frank for once. It is no secret that our today’s students, especially the Gen-Z generation, is in fact troubled in many ways. Let us look at the structure of their homes. It all starts somewhere, and I can definitely say that it begins in the home. Parenting is of dire importance. Peer pressure is something else that our Gen-Z is also caught up with, and wanting to live the fast life too early.

Look, these aren’t children anymore. As they make it to high school, the conversations and their behaviours change exponentially. It is not even about education and being involved, and seeing how much one can make a positive difference in his or her community and school. But it is about, who is chopping the line, arguments on best dancehall artistes, and sex, to name the few.

As a recent graduate, I asked a friend who started her teaching career just last year, “What advice would you give someone like me who seeks to venture into the classroom?” Her response was, “Do something else. These students don’t even behave as if they need education.” Was I surprised by her response? No. However, it showed that the direction of the education system needs to be reformed. Growing up, I have heard about so many ills of the education system, and I have come to see it for myself. In the past month, we have had so many teachers passing away with no trace of illness.

What is happening to our teachers? Are they really being overworked? Are these ongoing assessments and requirements burning them out? Are they being forced to be parents and counsellors of their students? For the sake of professionalism, who is helping them to take care of their mental health?

Our students need hope for the future. We need interventional plans that can shift their focus on becoming self-aware, so that they can find their God-given purpose. Many of them are coming from broken and dysfunctional homes. Many of them know nothing else but to be rebellious. Many of them have no understanding of what it is to show and give love to their peers. They don’t understand platonic friendships, and so much so they don’t know how to handle conflicts in any given day-to-day situations. Our Jamaican culture is to be hot-headed and that only puts us at two places: either in prison or six feet under the ground.

I believe we can fix what is wrong with Jamaica with what is right, by moulding our youth in the right directions. What does it profit them to lose their soul trying to gain the whole world? Yes, absolutely nothing.

ZHAYNE HEEDRAM