Is the Government moving to address violent behaviour in schools?

Govt attempting to address violence in schools

The government is moving to combat violent behaviour in schools with the rollout of the Behaviour Change Support Services for Students in primary and secondary schools beginning this month (January 2024).

It has introduced a behaviour change support model for students, aimed at ensuring that their basic and mental health, safety, security, and behavioural and nutritional needs are met.

In secondary schools, the behaviour change support services team comprises the guidance counsellor, Health and Family Life Education (HFLE) teacher, dean of discipline and school nurse, while in primary schools, the vice principal, a senior teacher, HFLE teacher and guidance counsellor rounds out the group.

There are 1,200 guidance counsellors, 139 established deans of discipline and others acting in the position, 180 HFLE educators and 120 nurses across Jamaican schools. The current ratio of guidance counsellors to students, 1:500, is high, and there are indications that the government’s aim is to reduce it to at least 1:400.

The idea of collaboration evolved from the Deans of Discipline Annual Conference, and the Education Ministry has since built awareness among principals.

To support the implementation, an additional $72 million has been included in the next tranche of grants disbursed to schools as the government desires to see a marked change in the behaviour of students in the classroom, on the school compound, at the school gate, on the way home and in their communities.

Violence by and among students in schools and elsewhere often results from many contributing factors, including community disputes, dysfunctional family relations, maladaptive behaviour by students, and sometimes the easy access to weapons.

Data from the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), reveal that between 2019 and 2022, 875 children between the ages of 15 and 17 had been charged for major crimes. These included 79 for murder, 66 shooting charges, 175 for rape, 175 for break-ins, 89 for robbery, 65 for aggravated assault, and 256 for breaches of the Firearms Act, which include illegal possession of a firearm.

Last year, students from the Denham Town and Tivoli Gardens High schools in Kingston were engaged in weekly Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) as part of another pilot programme to reduce violence in schools.

The two schools were the first of nine that were targeted for the intervention, which was aimed at testing the use of CBT as a tool to reduce violence among the youth. CBT is a type of therapy that helps young people to identify and change the destructive or disturbing thought patterns that have a negative influence on their behaviour and emotions.

Using CBT as a tool allowed students to benefit from meditative therapy sessions, which are useful for treating anxiety, depression and anger management. The schools were chosen based on major behavioural issues reported, as well as their proximity to the communities declared under the Zones of Special Operations (ZOSOs).

Deans of discipline and guidance counsellors from the nine high schools were engaged in a residential training programme over four days to deliver the programme. Results of the pilot will inform how the government moves beyond this point in implementing violence-prevention initiatives.

Meanwhile, the ‘Just Medz It’ programme launched in October 2022 is another initiative of the government to curb violence in schools. The ‘Just Medz It’ end violence in school campaign sought to empower education stakeholders, in particular students, with additional tools for the amicable resolution of conflict.

The Ministries of Education and Justice strengthened their collaboration to train education stakeholders in restorative justice practices.

And in another effort to promote positive behavioural change and management of conflict within schools, 2398 participants across 81 schools were trained in conflict resolution. The schools include 78 high and 24 primary and were grouped under phase one of the Restorative Justice Workshops for students, teachers, and parents.

The Ministry of Justice established 20 restorative justice centres across the 14 parishes. The centres are available to assist parties to resolve conflicts and the aftermath, in a positive and law-abiding manner.

The Education Ministry also partnered with the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) in its campaign to end violence in schools.

Addressing violence in schools is not a new phenomenon, as almost 18 years ago, the now former National Youth Service (NYS), the agency of government that was charged with putting programmes in place to address unemployment, underachievement and antisocial behaviours among the youth, pushed for the implementation of a NYS in Schools Programme in high schools across the island.

The programme was proposed against the background of the deterioration in social behaviour and attitude of students. It had sought to achieve a transformation within the student body in terms of raising the level of responsibility in relation to lifestyle choices; to have student exhibit certain behaviours that would be considered the norm; and to have the entire school culture go through a process of renewal.

Meanwhile, in a bid to improve safety and security in schools, the government is installing closed-circuit television systems (CCTV) in high schools across the country, starting with six this academic year. This is in addition to the plan to install CCTV at the entrances of all primary schools. $73M is also being spent on security fencing this financial year (2023/24).

Regarding School Resource Officers (SROs), the police have trained over 300 since the inception of that programme in 2010, however attrition has seen the number of available officers falling over time.

A School Resource Officer (SRO) is a Police Officer, who is placed in a school to help maintain and sustain discipline. He/she is responsible to prosecute any student who commits any unlawful act on the school compound. Specifically, the SRO is responsible to identify troubled and disruptive students and bring them to the attention of the school’s administration.

The provision of School Resource Officers is the responsibility of the Community Safety and Security Branch of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).