JIS: Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, is imploring parents engaged in the practice of withholding their children from school on some weekdays, to involve them in economic activities to generate household income, to desist from doing so.
“You’re not doing the child a favour (and) you’re certainly not supporting their full potential development by depriving them of one or two days of education,” Mr. Holness said as he launched activities for Workers’ Week and Labour Day at the Office of the Prime Minister on Tuesday (May 1).
While noting that “there is nothing wrong with parents ensuring that children understand the value of work”, he contended that when this interrupts the youngsters’ education, and goes further to involve them in illicit activities, such as scamming, the illegal sex trade and human trafficking, “then that is not (something) any country can be proud of”.
Mr. Holness pointed out that the Administration has provided the resources necessary to ensure that children can remain in school for the full five days per week, “and I encourage all parents, no matter how you are struggling, to take advantage of the support that the Government gives through the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) and other means”.
“There is no excuse for parents to take their children out of school to support them in any form of economic activity during the school period. We need to now step up on our campaign (to mandate that) every child must be in school when school is in,” he emphasised.
Workers’ Week and Labour Day 2018 are being observed under the theme ‘Ramp it Up… Fix it Up’.
Activities will focus on constructing ramps in schools to enable physically challenged persons to access these buildings, and installing additional facilities at health centres to enhance the environment for medical staff and clients.
Labour Day will be observed on Wednesday, May 23.
CAPTION: The Most Hon. Andrew Holness, ON., MP., Prime Minister