By Tahna Weston
With calls from the public for prayers to be re-instituted in public schools and the statement by the Prime Minister Gaston Browne that this would be mandatory during morning assembly, Deputy Director of Education Dr E Jonah Greene said devotions was never removed from the schools.
The recent constant calls for prayers in government-run education institutions follow the surge in violent incidents among the youth.
Dr Greene, citing the Education Act said it speaks to prayers being held in schools.
“Prayers have never been removed from our school learning environment. I can assure you that at every single school in the morning what happens is prayers would be conducted and either the principal or a teacher of some sort would actually have engaging conversations with children as to what is expected of them.
“So that element [prayers], that has never been removed from our learning environment and from our schools’ environment,” Dr Greene said.
The deputy director of education said more is needed in terms of strengthening young peoples’ spirituality at a different level through parental guidance. However, she noted that this is a personal decision each parent would have to undertake.
“But as it pertains to what is happening in our schools and in collaboration with what the legal parameters are as to what can happen in a learning environment, we have not moved away from having prayers in our schools.
“So I am not sure from what end the suggestion was made but we continue to have prayers in our learning environments within the parameters of the law,” Dr Greene said.
Over the weekend Prime Minister Browne announced that beginning in September it will be mandatory for prayers to be held during morning assemblies.
Apparently, the decision was made during last Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting; however, it was not mentioned in the Cabinet Notes or during the post Cabinet press briefing the following day.
PM Browne is of the opinion that one reason why adults have “reasonably well-developed consciences” is the fear of God and going to church.
Browne also spoke about the decreased church attendance by many young people preventing them from receiving the appropriate spiritual guidance.
The prime minister said the majority of the population is Christians and therefore the government’s decision to make prayer mandatory for all students in public schools and not private institutions since the government cannot dictate for them.
A section of the Education Act under the title Exercise of Rights speaks to a student expressing any religious, political, moral, or other belief or opinion “so long as the expression does not adversely affect the rights or education of other students, or the rights of other persons in the school”.
