There were chaotic scenes at Oberlin High School on Wednesday after scores of students became disorientated and fainted, reportedly after a teacher prayed.
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Education Minister Fayval Williams
A team from the Ministry Education on Thursday met with students and staff of Oberlin High School in St. Andrew following a disturbance the previous day during general devotion.
There were chaotic scenes at the institution Wednesday after scores of students became disorientated and fainted.
It was reported that this happened when a teacher was given the opportunity to share a "word" and prayed for the students.
Education Minister Fayval Williams said the ministry's team has been seeking to restore calm at the institution, "to reassure the student population as well as the teaching population that the school will operate...in a safe manner".
The Ministry of Education has directed school leaders to develop protocols for devotions, as it continues to investigate the incident at Oberlin High.
Mrs Williams said while the ministry is supportive of religious practices in schools, administrators should be "extremely careful" of the content students are exposed to.
"We have to ensure that their physical body is not harmed, is not overly involved; you don't have ceremonies where they have to prostrate on the ground or anything like that. Those are some of the things I am thinking about and we are discussing when we talk about protocols for devotions," she explained.
Mrs Williams, who was speaking on the Morning Agenda on Power 106, said there is currently no protocol from the ministry to guide schools on religious ceremonies.
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