Levy: Schools need to set up relationships with communities

 IF Jamaica wants to see improvement in the performance of students academically and socially, then educators need to go into communities, possibly outside of their normal teaching hours, and work alongside parents and other community members.

So says Horace Levy, senior lecturer in the Department of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, who believes that the operation of schools should be expanded to communities in their immediate vicinities.

 "The school is part of a community. The schools need to set up relationships with the communities and the communities need to take responsibility for the schools," said Levy, who was presenting on day one of a two-day symposium hosted by the School of Education, UWI, in collaboration with Operation Save Jamaica on October 31.

"There is a lot of creativity in the communities. The school needs to build on that creativity. They need to use the creativity which the communities have to offer in the education of the children."

Levy said it is through increased communication between the communities and schools — two of the primary agents of socialisation — that Jamaica will see a culture shift in the behaviour of students and ultimately an increase in academic performance in internal and external examinations.

"I believe the influence of the community can save the failing children of our education system," he said.

Levy said communities in every parish of Jamaica are enriched with talent; for example, music and drama, which can assist students who are not necessarily driven academically.

"The community has a lot of creative talent within it. This is a lot to offer to the school. The music, the sound that the community generates, these are very creative people," Levy said.

He added that the onus is really that of parents to see that communities and schools work together for the benefit of their children.

The two-day symposium, held at Mona Visitors' Lodge, was held under the theme 'Changing the landscape of education within under-resourced urban schools and communities'.

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