Church group warns the government not to remove devotions from schools.

 

Children at a local primary school clasping hands
in prayer during morning devotion.

In October, the Ministry of Education had indicated that it would be scaling back the participation of corporate worship aka general assembly devotions in schools after several students at Oberlin High School in St Andrew collapsed during the school's daily devotion. This move evoked an outcry from several groups and individuals, including the Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA), which warned the Ministry of Education against diminishing the role of devotions in the school setting.

Now clergyman Errol Rattray, founder and head of the Errol Rattray Evangelistic Association (EREA), an organization formed to address the spiritual and moral issues of the society, has added his voice to the debate. Rattray, the man who spearheaded a national clean-up campaign during World Cup 2007 in the island, said removing devotions from schools would leave children who in many instances have no spiritual guidance vulnerable to the immoral influences plaguing the society.

"...[E]very morning, all of us have to get up and have devotions. I know there are some persons who are not Christians so you can't put devotions in those homes in a family where you don't have Christians. That's why I would be against any government who takes devotions from schools because there are some children who never get an opportunity to have devotions but in school."

This is why Rattray has said that he will vehemently fight against any action the government would seek to take to ban devotions in schools. The man of God noted a recent survey which showed that 70 per cent of children do not attend church, and he believes this is an indicator of what is the root cause of the disruptive behaviour of students seen in schools.

He continued:

"They don't go to church, they are not influenced by Christian values, what they hear is the influence on social media and the dancehall and what they hear from their friends. That's why there is so much indiscipline in our schools with our children."

"I think at my age and stage I have a responsibility to give guidance to be a part of the solution. I will not stand by and allow any government to take devotions out of school. I would be very vocal because I think that is this that is going to bring us back to basics. Our national anthem is a prayer, most of our schools were started by churches."

Rattray is very confident that there can be a turn around in the Jamaican society once certain negative influences are removed. He expressed his pleasure concerning the move by the Broadcasting Commission to ban the playing of music that promotes scamming, the use of the illicit drug Molly, and illegal guns.

"I am happy they have banned some things from our radio and television stations, but I think there are some steps that should be taken to turn around our nation and stem the negative influences on our young people. We have to save the next generation," he said.

In October, immediately after the incident at Oberlin High School, another group the Association of Christian Communicators and Media (ACCM), in a response to the MOE's statements about devotions, said the ministry "must take into account the fact that the public school system, for the most part, was established on moral and legal foundation, grounded in the Christian faith. It is on this solid foundation that the majority of the traditional institutions of learning were built."