Deal with miseducation of gangsters

On May 17, 2003, I lost my only brother. Shot down in the streets and left to die. The day Greg died was perhaps the first time I stopped and took stock of the impact of murders on families. Before, I treated murder victims as mere statistics, not taking the time to realise the massive void which criminality had been creating.

Fast-forward 11 years and not much has changed. Many Jamaicans lose loved ones because of the acts of criminals, to the point where we have become numb. It is time to take back the country.

Education Minister Ronald Thwaites last Tuesday tabled a ministry paper in the House of Representatives pointing to a series of interventions that are on the table for more than 50 schools from which, research indicates, the majority of students graduated to the penal system have come.

Naturally, the schools and their past students are upset. Some say the minister is tarnishing the name of the schools.

The Gavel takes no side on that issue. All we know is that the report is forcing us to face a most uncomfortable reality. We must answer the question of whether it is that we want to hide the fact that our schools are creating gangsters. It is the elephant in the living room and we must deal with it.

FACING OUR DEMONS

The Jamaica Constabulary Force study offers us yet another opportunity to face our demons. Simply put, we have mega problems and we have to face them collectively as a people. We note that Thwaites has announced plans to implement a system of diagnosing maladjusted children and referring them for treatment.

The Gavel commends the minister for the initiative, but continues to be disappointed that enough attention is not being given to preventing problems in the school system.

Note, for example, that Peace and Love in Society (PALS) has been treated as a poor cousin of intervention programmes, given neither the funding nor pride of place to ensure that it is able to fully reach out and rescue potentially deviant children.

The Gavel shares the view that it is better to treat the problem of deviant behaviour at the earliest possible stage - in the homes and schools - before it gets to the criminal justice system. It is impatient of debate that the approximately 20,000 students who leave school yearly without any certification represent a rich supply of persons to criminal gangs and criminality.

With this in mind, I readily endorse any proposals aimed at stemming criminality. I can't help but think that my brother, and so many thousands of Jamaicans, would be alive today if we had intervention programmes which steer potential criminals away from the side of wrongdoing.

Now that Thwaites has announced his major plans, which can go a far way in reducing criminality on the island, he needs to ensure that they are implemented in time and giving the resources to ensure their success.

Also, the minister needs to ensure he reverses the damage that has been caused by his decision to name the schools which have been producing most inmates for the prisons.

Surely, Thwaites did not author the report, but he has to be careful that he is not equating correlation with causation. Doing so would make a mockery of his own 'grow where you are planted' maxim.

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