The Editor, Sir:

I strongly agree with the call of Everton Walters, JP, in letter to the Editor published March 3, 2008, for the minister of education to give consideration to the matter of having parenting skills taught in secondary schools as a life skill.

In the same publication, it is observed that several presenters at various functions have been reported as identifying a lack of proper parenting skills as a major root cause of our present dilemma in Jamaica.

Dionne Gallimore-Rose, family court judge for St James, Hanover and Westmoreland, is quoted as "urging parents to practise proper parenting as a way of minimising the increasing rate of carnal abuse cases among children." But how can they practise what they have never been taught? She also expressed concern about a recent survey which revealed that one in every five births in Jamaica was to an underaged mother, and that many teenage mothers produced between four and five children during their adolescent years. This, to me, shows that there is a need for teaching parenting skills in secondary schools.

Values change needed

Dr Grace Kelly, chairman of the Behavioural Sciences Department at the Northern Caribbean University, is quoted as saying, "Poor socialisation practices and a lack of proper parenting is (sic) having an adverse effect on children. We need a values change. We need to reconstruct the whole mindset of our parents and our people and, if we don't get to the core of it, we're not going to have change."

Sylvester Anderson, president of the National Parent-Teacher Association of Jamaica (NPTAJ), was quoted as saying that to assist with the problem, his organisation will be planning a series of parenting seminars in the final weeks of March. "Essentially, we'll be targeting the parents through the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) to bring some order to the whole situations," he said. "We have to start from the foundation."

While this is good and needs to be done as a matter of urgency, I am proposing that we adopt a proactive approach by also targeting the parents-to-be. To start from the foundation is to start teaching proper parenting as a life skill in secondary schools.

No role models

Dr Sydney McGill, marriage and family counsellor, posits that boys do not have very personal examples of what it means to be a man, and they have the challenge of deciding by themselves, with no reference as to what a good enough man is. Hence, they would in turn tend to emulate behaviours in their environment associated with the manliness. In most cases, there is a high probability that this includes the display of risky and antisocial behaviours. I think this cycle could be broken by teaching parenting in schools.

Although the horse is gone through the gate, I agree with the president of the NPTAJ that help could be offered to existing parents through parenting seminars. I believe there should, however, be a coalition between the Ministry of Health (NHF), the Ministry of Education (PTAs), the Ministry of Information, Youth, Sports & Culture, the Guidance Counsellors Association of Jamaica, the Press Association of Jamaica, the Music Industry and communities (citizens' associations) for the purpose of: (1) targeting parents by the offering of parenting seminars, workshops and even counselling on an ongoing basis; and (2) targeting parents-to-be by the teaching of proper parenting as a life skill in high schools.

I am, etc.,

MARCIA BLAKE

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