'Need for a rebirth of our way of life'

Barrington Flemming, Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU

Dr Mary Clarke, deputy chief education officer in the Ministry of Education, says Jamaica desperately needs a cultural renaissance to rescue the nation from self-destruction.

Delivering the main address at the opening of the Falmouth office of the Family and Parenting Centre on Thursday, January 19, she said that in recent years, there had been rising political and public concerns which suggest an impending crisis in the society.

"The rising number of incidents of crime and violence, delinquency, and an ever-increasing prison population, together with concern for deteriorating discipline in our schools all point to a nation in crisis," Clarke said. "There is, therefore, need for a rebirth of our way of life."

Clarke added that over a considerable period of time, old belief systems had collapsed and new paradigms and priorities had emerged.

"These have resulted in degeneration in family life, moral behaviour, and a laissez-faire attitude towards education, which spells trouble for the nation," she said.

The education officer said it was timely that the Family and Parenting Centre was being opened in Falmouth. She suggested that its reach be extended to St Ann.

"The opening of the centre brings into sharp focus the central role of the family in nation building," Clarke further noted. "It is no accident that in this year of jubilee, Jamaica's 50th anniversary of Independence, the Family and Parenting Centre is extending its reach to Falmouth, one of the country's earliest historical sites, to reposition the family as the basic fabric of society."

Executive Director of the Family and Parenting Centre, Dr Beverly Scott, said the centre has had a positive impact on thousands of lives over the years.

Three handbooks produced

Scott said that in a bid to further expand the impact of the Family and Parenting Centre, three handbooks, which could be used to assist families across the island, had been produced.

"Our current projects are: violence prevention, alternative education for emotionally disturbed children, and the implementation of the Child Protection Strategic Development Plan for Jamaica. We are restoring families and building the nation."

Student client Jessith Green, a past student of the Anchovy High School, St James, gave a moving testimonial commending the Family and Parenting Centre for rescuing her from destroying herself.

"I used to smoke marijuana and get involved in all manner of misconduct," said Green. "But thanks to Dr Beverly Scott and the team at the Family and Parenting Centre, I was able to refocus and am now getting ready to pursue a career in the army."