Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
Parents in the Turks and Caicos Islands have a powerful tool to combat crime and juvenile delinquency according to Dr. Anya Malcolm Gibbs, that tool is themselves!
Specifically, their continued involvement in the life of their child or children.
Dr. Malcolm Gibbs, Director of the Department for Special Education Needs Services (DSENS) was the Keynote speaker at the 2024 Education Symposium which is part of Education Week 2024. The theme for this year is Parental Involvement: Building a Stronger Home – School Partnership.
Malcolm-Gibbs, a psychologist and mother of three, said of parental involvement: ”it creates lasting impressions and shapes the educational journey of our children,”; but that isn’t the only benefit. She stressed that it also creates a more holistic society.
“We know that parental involvement has a direct effect on juvenile delinquency and crime rates. And right now in our country the crime rate is high and there’s a lot of finger pointing.”
Malcolm-Gibbs told the story of a young boy named Ronnie who, despite being bright and curious begins to exhibit concerning behaviors which are noticed by his teachers who team up with Ronnie’s parents to help. While clearly fictional the story is a foil for the dozens of young men in the Turks and Caicos, who are being led onto the path of violence early enough that it is still possible for them to be saved.
“There is one option here. That is to recognize the importance of your involvement— you can’t say oh, I’m busy. You have these children that you have brought into the world. Those are your children, you have to raise them. You only have one choice here you have to get involved in your child’s education,,” Malcolm-Gibbs stressed.
The Director listed three pillars that would facilitate healthy parent teacher relationships:
Open Communication Empowering Parents and Community engagement.
Malcolm-Gibbs maintained that this sort of parent teacher partnership could be a turning point for the Turks and Caicos.
“The minute that we can look [at ourselves] and see that we have a vital role to play, we will then see our youth NOT engaged in crime and negative things.” The Department head continued “By fostering strong relationships between home and school we not only enhance academic achievement but also contribute to safer and more vibrant communities.”
The education symposium was held on March 4, 2024.
