Dear Editor,

There is a burning situation that occurred in north-eastern St Elizabeth that I would like to air for the Ministry of Education to send help.

October 11, 2016 has left a dent in my heart after hearing a parent complaining about how her three-year-old daughter was deprived of a meal. The parent claimed that she had taken her child to school and explained to the principal that she did not have the $500 to pay for the week’s lunch for her daughter. The parent further lamented that she had intended to muster up some home-made lunch to take to the child, but due to a combination of reasons she was unable to do so. What is disheartening within this entire situation is the fact that when the parent went for the child at the end of the school day, the principal boldly turned to the parent and told her that the three-year-old child had been denied lunch because of no payment. What kind of nation-builder is that principal? Where is the love for children? Is that principal looking out for the future of this country? Is there no concern for the health, well-being and development of that child? At the very least, is there no consideration for the duty that a school has to ensure no child is neglected?

I can only imagine how that poor child felt watching all the other students eat while she did not. What is equally troubling is that this child, according to her mother, is on the Programme for Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH). Didn’t the Government just say that all students who are on PATH should be given cooked meal at school?

Dwight Brooks

dwight.brooks39@gmail.com