JYAN calls for urgent measures to stem violence among students

Arguing that schools are limited in their ability to deal with the issue of violence among students, the Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network (JYAN) is calling for the Ministry of Education to take urgent action to protect the right to education and the well-being of children.

The call follows recent incidents of bullying at Jamaica College and the violent death of a student at Seaforth High.

JAYN notes that Jamaica has a history of violence in schools and many attempts have been made over the years to remedy these safety concerns.

However, it says those efforts have not been enough, and the current realities require all stakeholders to intervene in extraordinary ways.

JYAN is calling for all education stakeholders, led by the Ministry of Education, to take action to:

1. Intensify the implementation of the National School Safety Policy.

2. Conduct a comprehensive school safety audit of all schools, with reports and actionable mandates employed based on audit findings.

3. Implement conflict resolution modules into the school curriculum and provide increased funding support for qualified individuals and CSOs to administer intervention programmes. These modules should be age-appropriate and context-specific, with rollout starting at the early childhood level.

4. Prioritise research and implementation of best practices for achieving discipline and safety in schools, ensuring the use of proven standards to inform internal school policies. This requires an all-of-society approach, pulling on existing networks and resources.

5. Provide strong, sustainable victim-centred programmes which ensure psychosocial services for victims of bullying and violence in schools are accessible.

6. Develop a Parental Involvement Strategy to bridge the gap between home and school and reinforce techniques learnt at school within the home.

Executive Director of JYAN, Shannique Bowden, says "Schools should be safe havens for our students. When both parents and students have to be sceptical of the safety of our schools, it presents an unacceptable barrier for children to access their right to quality education and the safety of their person.”

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