Chief Education Officer Dr Ramona Archer-Bradshaw said that the Ministry of Education is not taking God out of the schools.
“I want to make it absolutely clear the Ministry of Education is not taking God out of schools. If you look at the circular that I saw circulating as well in the public forum, that circular was addressed to principals. It was intended for principals because we had a number of meetings prior to distribution of the circular which outlined how the sessions will go during the morning periods,” she said.
Her remarks came today after a circular addressed to all principals was circulated on social media. The post has attracted many comments, with a number of people expressing concern about God being removed from the school environment.
She was speaking following a service of blessings at Queen’s College after the school was used as an isolation facility during the spike in coronavirus (COVID-19) cases. The Husbands, St James campus was decommissioned and handed over to the Ministry of Education last December.
Archer-Bradshaw said the intention was that instead of general assembly being held, mindfulness sessions would now be held.
“We said students would come into the classroom and we will interact with them, because many of them have suffered loss. We understand that, so we want to hear from them and be able to guide them accordingly to talk about love, compassion and having understanding for the situation,” she said. (RA)