Release Date:
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
The Jamaica Teachers’ Association will once again call its teachers together for prayer as the nations’ educators seek to draw attention to the tide of violence in the society and which has overtime spilled into schools affecting both teachers and students.
President of the Jamaica Teachers Association Owen Speid says this prayer vigil is a continuation of a call to action under the theme ‘ We Pray, God Delivers’.
He says the JTA is organizing the second of three such vigils planned.
This second one will be in the county of Middlesex, at the Manchester High School in Mandeville on Thursday, January 30 at 4pm. The other is being organized for the county of Cornwall on a day to be announced.
Speid added that Thursday’s vigil will have in attendance primarily teachers and well wishers from Central Jamaica, and will focus on the number of students/children and teachers killed.
While not armed with all the data, Speid says by virtue of recent event affecting children, students and teachers, the JTA thought it was apt to seek divine guidance one more time.
On Monday, January 27, teachers across Jamaica wore black to highlight the violence which has been plaguing the society and affecting the teaching fraternity and our students in particular the murder of the 36 yr old teacher Carl Samuels of Vauxhall High school and a 8 yr old student Galen Buchanan whose body was removed from the water front near Manley Meadows in Kingston on January 24.The decision of the teachers to wear black received significant support from the teaching profession islandwide.
The JTA’s first vigil of reflection and remembrance, was held at its headquarters in October 2019.