Editorial | Parsons in schools

This newspaper shares Mark Smith’s, the teachers’ union president, reservation over the recruitment of pastors to fill a shortage of religious education teachers in Jamaica’s schools if their enlistment is merely because of their supposed knowledge of Christianity.

Indeed, we agree with Dr Smith that there is no long-term substitute for having trained teachers in schools, across all subjects. Which is a matter that demands urgent and robust attention from the Government.

In the meantime, it remains a fact, as is the case with the sciences and mathematics, that there is a shortage in the system of tutors in religious education as well as in other areas of the humanities. Some schools have been forced to cut these subjects from their timetables.

In that regard, The Gleaner looks forward to a broader articulation by the Reverend Newton Dixon, the general secretary of the Jamaica Council of Churches, regarding his suggestion that the council provide parsons to help plug the vacancies for religious education teachers.

For the avoidance of doubt, we are not opposed to having in the classrooms, even on a temporary basis, these preachers once it is clear that theirs is not a proselytising mission, that they possess the knowledge for the task and are willing to abide by the official curriculum. In other words, there can be no freelancing.

Which is what we interpret Rev Dixon to, at least in part, appreciate in conceding that pastors entering classrooms “should be carefully monitored by the denominations that are providing the personnel”.

“Just as in the school system, they would have to vet them through an application process,” he said.

POTENTIAL TO HELP

Once the specific criteria are understood, and agreed to, Rev Dixon’s idea has potential to help address Jamaica’s broader teacher shortage in key subjects, which is exacerbated by the annual exodus of the better trained and more talented teachers to higher-paying jobs abroad.

If there are preachers who are also skilled in maths, English language, chemistry, physics, biology – or any other subject where there is a teacher demand – and have the ability to pass their knowledge to the students, there is no reason why they should not be welcomed on a short-term, volunteer basis, allowing the authorities breathing space to deal with the underlying problem.

On the immediate problem of religious education, this newspaper respects, and endorses, the right of faith-based schools, or those institutions that are owned by religious organisations, to emphasise their own faith or denomination as part of institutional life. Indeed, there are often life-grounding lessons and values to be absorbed in these environments.

Nonetheless, in circumstances where the State, which is to say taxpayers, contribute – however inadequately – to the upkeep of those institutions, there can be no compromise on the right of parents to have their children opt out of organised religious activity or instruction. That is different from students being taught about religion on a comparative basis in accordance with a standardised national curriculum.

Or as the Caribbean Examinations Council explained it with respect to its syllabus for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams, the focus must be on religious education “rather than religious instruction”.

Therefore, students pursuing the CSEC religious education curriculum are afforded insights into the four major global faiths, which they also encounter in the region – Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Hinduism – as well as the significant religions/faiths, like Rastafari and Revivalism, that have evolved in the Caribbean.

COMPARATIVE RELIGIONS

This opportunity for students to explore comparative religions and religious traditions, without being burdened with proselytising messages, is also an opening for a dive, from a different perspective, into Caribbean history, ethnic make-up and social structures – an expanded intellectual environment that enhances personal growth and tolerance.

In the end, though, recruiting preachers to fill classroom gaps is not a sustainable solution to the crisis.

Dr Smith and his Jamaica Teachers’ Association insist that paying teachers more, financing their training, and creating a better working environment for those who enter and stay in the profession are important imperatives. There is also the question of what the people who will have to pay for this should expect in return.

These are conversations that The Gleaner urges the Government to begin as a matter of urgency with all stakeholders. In that respect, it is not too late to open a real public engagement and debate on the Patterson Commission on transforming the education system.

It is not enough to merely announce that the commission’s recommendations are being implemented and are on target without people knowing what is really being implemented or have had a say in deciding on the priorities.