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JTA President La Sonja Harrison and Anglican priest Reverend Sean Major-Campbell, speaking with 'Morning Agenda' host Sanjay Lewis.
President of the Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA) La Sonja Harrison has said she does not believe that protocols are necessary for devotions in schools.
She was responding to suggestions for such protocols following an incident at Oberlin High School this week in which some students reportedly became disoriented, started "speaking in tongues", and fainted after they were prayed for by a teacher during general devotion.
The Ministry of Education is investigating the incident but has directed school leaders to develop protocols for devotions.
However, Ms Harrison does not believe protocols are necessary for school devotions.
"It has not proven itself to be necessary before and even with this current activity or what has come to national attention, persons will have their own opinions on same, but I'm sure schools have been guided by their own protocols as it relates to devotions throughout the years," she reasoned.
Ms Harrison argued that education in Jamaica "has been borne out of the church...and devotion is a part of what schools do every day".
The JTA president also responded to concerns that students who are not religious or are adherents of faiths other than Christianity are being forced to attend devotion.
Ms Harrison said some schools do not have the human resource capacity to supervise these "few" students in a separate location away from the large percentage of the school population.
She was speaking with Sanjay Lewis, host of the Morning Agenda on Power 106.
Content issue
Anglican priest and human rights advocate Reverend Sean Major-Campbell has said the problem is not devotion in schools but the content being delivered.
"Some of what passes as devotions in schools can be quite offensive and unhelpful," he asserted.
Reverend Major-Campbell suggested instead that a "brief" devotional exercise would be more appropriate, where students perhaps sing an inspirational song and repeat a Psalm.
He was also a guest on the Morning Agenda on Power 106.
Mrs Williams said there is currently no protocol from the ministry to guide schools on religious ceremonies.
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