Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says the Ministry is in full support of the 9:00 p.m. curfew in St. James for all students 17 years and under.
He was speaking at the National Parent-Teacher Association of Jamaica’s (NPTAJ) Annual General Meeting at the Montego Bay High School, St. James, on May 28.
The initiative was launched in April by the St. James police out of concern that criminals have been preying on the vulnerability of students, luring them into illegal activities and turning their minds against wanting to go to school.
Minister Reid said that he too was concerned about students being on the streets way after school hours in their uniform. “This is totally unacceptable and something we cannot condone,” he noted.
The Minister said he would like to see the initiative being extended across the island.
“We know there will be concerns about freedom of movement and whether certain rights are being violated. I am all for having that debate and I am certainly against impeding on anyone’s basic fundamental rights. However, I am certain we all can agree that this is a serious problem and that it certainly has to be addressed,” he said.
For his part, Chairman of the NPTAJ’s Region Four, Neville Wilson, noted that he is also in full support of the St. James curfew, adding that it will go a far way in addressing crime.
“It is not okay to see young kids on the streets at nights and in the company of questionable characters,” he said.
“We have to protect our children from predators. We have to get their minds preoccupied with school and this can’t be done by having them on the streets at nights,” he added.
Mr. Wilson said that he has spoken to a number of school principals as well as members of the NPTAJ, who are overwhelmingly in support of an islandwide curfew for students.
“We have to move beyond the confines of St. James. This is one initiative that I am confident the Government will get bipartisan support on. We are talking about our children; we have to get this right,” he pointed out.
Source: Jamaica Information Service