Ohhhh No! - Spice school tour under fire

President of the National Parent-Teacher Association of Jamaica, Stewart Jacobs, is expressing outrage that dancehall superstar Spice was allowed to organise a school tour.

"Spice does not have the moral authority to go into a school where young females are or even young men are, to speak - period," Jacobs told THE STAR. "She has created a platform of indecency, lewd, slack lyrics that have nothing to do with the proper development or the positive impact of a child in Jamaica. No principal or school board at any level should allow the likes of Spice in their space." Though expressing belief in "reconciliation and redemption," he maintained that certain immoral acts cannot be erased.

"The society that we live in and the fact that we are grappling with crime, indecency and this lewd behaviour from our children, which is influenced by adults in our society like the likes of Spice, [she] should never be seen as a role model or to be allowed in a school. Spice should only be allowed in a school to pick up or drop off her child [or] to witness a member of her family graduating. But not to do anything like dat," Jacobs stated. "Any principal who allowed Spice in their schools to speak to their children, [means] the fibre of our society is eroding even faster and it scared di hell outta mi."

Spice started her 'Ohhhh No School Tour' on Monday in Portmore, the place of her roots. She said that the tour, which is inspired by her recent single, Hell No, serves as a motivation to the youth to normalise being different, to stand out and say 'no' to certain immoral and sexual habits that devalue their character. Spice planned to visit 10 schools to "empower young adolescents through advocacy of self-worth".

However, Spice said yesterday that her plans might be cut short, as schools were cancelling visits.

Jacobs said that Spice as well as artistes who perform gun lyrics and 'choppa' songs should not be given any platform to address students.

"I totally disagree with any artistes who are lewd to be allowed around our school children. We're banning their music at home and in our public transport, but still we're inviting them to schools as glorified past students? Come on man, hypocrisy man," Jacobs opined.

But Pastor Joseph Williams of the Calvary Evangelistic Church of God opined that you can't use anyone's past to condemn them. He quoted the Book of John chapter 8: verse 7, when Jesus says ' So when they continued asking Him, He lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her'. So everyone deserves a second chance and it's not [like] she [Spice] was going to sing those outrageous songs. So I believe she should get a chance to do what she would really love to do because the context of what she'll be sharing is to bring peace and [is aimed at] eliminating the crime and violence in the schools and teach the youths the right things. No one is perfect because we're all ' born in sin and shaped in iniquity," he reasoned.

Meanwhile, Jacobs called on the education ministry to implement rules so that certain artistes are filtered before they go in front of students, and advised principals to choose more "positive and conscious" artistes.