Are absent fathers to blame?

SCHOOL violence is a complex problem. But too often it is met with simplistic responses.

Replying to questions on Sunday about the role of parenting in preventing violent behaviour among minors, former UNC MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh singled out the role of fathers.

“I want to appeal to the fathers of this nation,” the former education minister said. “Be a part of your children’s education. Do not only leave it on the mothers.”

It was the kind of sentiment frequently voiced whenever there is discussion of the breakdown of discipline in schools.

The resort to such ideas is easy to understand. Few will disagree that a part of the problem resides at home. And the reality is there are many homes in which fathers can do better.

Yet upon closer scrutiny Dr Gopeesingh’s special plea inadvertently enforces an old-fashioned idea of the primacy of the two-parent nuclear family.

Such an idea does not reflect the realities of our society. Nor does it adequately consider the more pervasive role played by public policy in shaping the challenges students face.

When it comes to parenting, ours is a country in which single-parent families have long ceased to be unusual. In fact, we are a society in which members of the extended family frequently play a central role in the upbringing of children, not just biological parents.

All over the world, this idea of the ideal of a two-parent household has long been jettisoned. With more couples opting to separate, it is no longer uncommon for there to be joint or single custody.

What has emerged as the most likely indicator of a child’s well-being are economic factors. Children who come from two-parent nuclear households can still suffer if they cannot afford education.

A focus on the role of fathers alone, while timely, given Sunday’s observance of Father’s Day, does little to help us grapple with the complexity of a problem that is dynamic, as Dr Gopeesingh himself acknowledged through his extensive inquiry on Sunday of the use of state resources within the education sector.

Also lacking nuance was Minister of Education Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly’s recent declaration that a desire to be a social media star is a key motive behind some skirmishes at schools.

There may well be instances when this is true – and there is a lot to be said about the negative impact of social media on students generally – but such motives should be regarded as symptomatic of a deeper malaise.

Families, single-parent or otherwise, do not exist in a vacuum. A school is a microcosm of society, shaped by social prejudices and attitudes, as well as by levels of state funding.

It is these relationships we should inquire into.