Yesterday The Gleaner invited several bright young minds to its Editors' Forum held at its North Street, downtown Kingston headquarters. The students touched on a variety of current issues, including violence in schools, the Prime Minister's decision to appoint pastors to boards, condoms in schools, the performance of teachers and the role of the family.
Today, in the first of a series of articles, we share with you comments from the students.
TONI-ANN FALCONER GLENMUIR HIGH SCHOOL
TONI-ANN FALCONER
"I believe that Jamaica really doesn't foster the talent that we have. The opportunities that are here are limited and so this contributes to the brain drain in our society; where the brightest mind and people who are more innovative, more creative, are leaving. The Americans recognise our talents and they are willing to invest in us.
"Living in the rural area of Clarendon, there are so many things I would have loved to do but the opportunities are just not there. We can help with the whole sustainable development of the country, so invest more in us."
ROMAINE ISAACS GLENMUIR HIGH SCHOOL
ROMAINE ISAACS
"I think condoms should be issued in schools. I believe that it is more economical because the reality is that a lot of students are having sex. It (condoms) cost less than if they have the children and then cannot maintain them."
BRADFORD BOLT ARDENNE HIGH SCHOOL
BRADFORD BOLT
(Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller announced recently that she will ensure that a minister of religion is appointed to every board).
"I think it is a good idea. There is nothing wrong with having the input of religious ministers on a board. A board consists of many people coming together to make a decision and the decision cannot be made by one person. A religious leader would positively influence the decision. But if we are putting ministers on boards, why don't we put a Buddhist or another religious group?"
KAMILLE ADAIR ARDENNE HIGH SCHOOL
KAMILLE ADAIR
"What we need in Jamaica is to make our tertiary institutions more attractive to Jamaican students. Because when students go online and see websites of these various institutions abroad they want to go there because of what they have to offer."
RENEE MILLER GLENMUIR HIGH SCHOOL
RENEE MILLER
"I am a living testimony of volunteerism. If you volunteer, it pays off. I personally want to commend Juici Patties for their Youth Leadership Programme because it was through that programme that I became employed to Juici Patties for the summer. Volunteerism will help to personally develop you."
KIRK KERR WOLMER'S BOYS
KIRK KERR
"I don't think having a pastor on every board will make a difference because we live in Jamaica where every other square kilometre we have a church (yet) you see the escalating crime rate, so it brings into question the whole purpose of the church and its concerns."
OMAR D'ACRES KINGSTON COLLEGE
OMAR D'ACRES
"I think the Government should offer incentives for teachers based on their performance." On safe schools: "I believe that the Government should hire police officers who work full-time at the school because the only time you find police officers at the school is when an incident happens."
ERROL CAMPBELL CAMPERDOWN HIGH SCHOOL
ERROL CAMPBELL
"A lot of fathers are not playing their roles in the family so the lack of family values is causing the violence in schools."
SHERNETTE ROSE CAMPERDOWN HIGH SCHOOL
SHERNETTE ROSE
"Violence in school is very deep to me. You hear students getting stabbed and shot and you wonder where all of this stem from."
