The children of the Joan Arundell Day Nursery recited “Train up a Child”.
Minister of Social Care, the Hon. Steven Blackett; His Excellency, the Governor General, Sir Elliott Belgrave; Kenneth Knight, Chairman of the Child Care Board and Director of Child Care Board, Joan Crawford enjoying the performances at the Opening Gala of Child Month 2016.
Stop child abuse
PROTECT our children!
This was the plea from a disturbed Minister of Education, the Hon. Ronald Jones, yesterday, as he expressed that “too many of our children are exposed to too much abuse”.
“The verbal, nasty, stinging derogatory word,that cuts the heart and the soul out of our children, and they respond, because they know how they feel... they know how we make them feel,” Jones observed during the Opening Gala to mark the beginning of Child Month 2016, at Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.
“Then on top of that, we bring brutality to their flesh with this notion of “spare not the rod spoil the child”, never understanding what it means. Flogging is not discipline, it is simply assault on the child. Those who assault should be taken before the courts and jailed if found guilty. I do not hesitate on that – those times have long passed. If as a modern nation we can’t talk to our children and reason with our children, but simply brutalise them in the notion of discipline, we are a lost nation.”
Reflecting on this year’s Child Month theme, “Celebrating Children: The Gems of Our Nation”, Jones made it clear that this cannot be achieved through brutality.
“I have been the witness to brutality of those who we were put in charge of. The child who couldn’t add two plus one... if you are teaching and the child does not know, you have to find a method to get the child to know, not to beat whatever you think is in the child out. Fear envelops that child…
“Let us exercise more care for our children,” he urged.
“Let us modulate our words with words of understanding, with words of hope, with words of compassion. Let us give our children the love that they are crying out for. We have excellent young people in this country – I see them in our schools, churches... I see them at this event... the talent.”
The Gala, held under the distinguished patronage of His Excellency, the Governor General, Sir Elliott Belgrave and Lady Belgrave, showcased the talents of school children in songs, spoken word and dance.