THE CHILDREN are crying out for help.
That’s the reason given by retired principal Reverend Keith Griffith for an increase in violence among schoolchildren recently that has, among other things, prompted renewed calls for metal detectors in schools.
Speaking to the DAILY NATION following a service to mark the 180th anniversary of St Clements Anglican Church in St Lucy yesterday, Griffith, the rector, said the spike in violence was concerning, and authorities must acknowledge it was a cry for help.
“Admit it’s a challenge and a problem; problems need solutions. Criticising doesn’t solve problems. The critics are active, but the caregivers we can’t find. Our young people are really saying through these acts that they need help; and if we really cared, we would not criticise but we would try to do something to make a difference, to help modify the behaviour.
“We have brought upon ourselves this situation, and if it’s not addressed and reversed, it will only get worse,” he stated.
Griffith said the level of violence – which saw many schoolchildren suffering injuries during school time and on public transportation – was long time in coming given the steady breakdown in the value systems.
“Violence in schools in the last few months was in the making for some time. The ingredients and the behavioural shift, changes and the shift in values, all of that, was an indicator that we had moved from core values that strengthen character and behaviour. (DB)
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