Classroom to community in fight against crime

The Ministry of Education will introduce a mandatory community service learning programme to the national curriculum in less than three months when the new school year begins, Minister of Education Transformation Chad Blackman has told Parliament, as he touted efforts to steer young people away from crime and build stronger civic values.

Blackman argued that prevention must go hand in hand with tougher measures to tackle gun-related offences.

The programme, dubbed 60 at 60, will become a compulsory component of secondary education from September and is intended to help shape responsible and community-minded citizens, he said.

“For the first time, we’re introducing at the formal level the mandatory component of our curriculum, where students must now in order to complete a secondary education in Barbados, 60 hours at 60 to ensure that they have the understanding of what it is to be civic-minded, community-minded, working with their peers, and therefore they will be required to either enter a civic-based organisation, a uniform based organization or a team sport.”

The initiative goes beyond academic achievement and is designed to equip students with the attitudes, values and life skills needed to contribute positively to society, he said.

Blackman stressed that the programme is intended to curb delinquent behaviour and address some of the underlying factors that can place young people on a path towards crime.

“Here are young people in our country who are on the right path, good grades, doing everything that you would want in a model citizen,” he declared.

“But having the qualifications alone, coming from school, but you’re not having the right mindset in terms of how you shape a nation, how do you work with your colleagues? How do you have empathy? How do you handle conflict in a wholesome way? We will be doing an injustice to our people.”

The minister said participation in civic organisations, uniformed groups and team sports would help students develop discipline, teamwork, empathy and conflict-resolution skills.

He argued that efforts to reduce crime must begin by addressing the social conditions that influence behaviour from an early age.

“People who end up before the courts don’t just get there because they wake up one morning and say I want to be involved in crime. 

“There are a number of sociological underpinnings and when you dig deep into a lot of the issues that are underlying why many of our people are ending up before the law courts with guns, it is oftentimes, yes, influenced by bad behaviour, peer pressure, but sometimes the absence and a lack of a presence of a father figure or a strong figure in your family who can guide you in the path that will help you to stay away from the court.”

Blackman also renewed his appeal for volunteers to support mentoring initiatives and the rollout of the community service learning programme.

“It’s not just for the men because there are women in our country who have given and will continue to give strong leadership and guidance to our young people, both male and female. We’ve seen it throughout the years in scouts, Cub Scouts, Scouts, Brownies and guides.”

He said the programme forms part of a wider effort to ensure young people are equipped with the values and discipline needed to contribute positively to national development.

“We give our young people the tools, attitudes and values, and discipline to be able to navigate life long after they have left school, but in so doing giving pride to us as a people. I want to use this occasion to once again encourage and invite persons around Barbados, whether you’re retired or you want to give back a few hours of your time to a country that has given so much to you, to work with the Ministry of Education and being able to volunteer for our community service learning initiative.”

Blackman also echoed concerns raised during the debate about the impact of gun crime on families and communities, insisting that Barbados must take a firm stance against the growing culture surrounding illegal firearms.

“There can be no place in our society for us to have a level of tolerance and indifference to what has been and continues to be a situation where people in our country believe, that they can have access to illegal firearms and bullets and can flaunt it and it has crept up a pervading culture of persons going on social media and going wherever and brandishing firearms thinking as if it’s some Hollywood scenario. This reality must be confronted.”

The education minister urged parents, families and communities to help young people understand that appearing before the courts on gun-related charges should never be viewed as a badge of honour.

“It is not a popular, it’s not something that you should be revelling in and taking pride in,” siad the Blackman.

(LG)