Law enforcement organizations comprising of the Police, Voluntary Corps of St. Maarten and the Control Unit, must be commended for carrying out controls on school busses. At the beginning of October more than five dozen school busses were controlled for weapons and illegal substances. Students’ bags were also checked.
The law enforcement agencies discovered an array of weapons and other items that could cause harm. Some of the items found were machetes, scissors, flare gun, butcher knives, a length of chain, a steak knife, brass knuckles, a switch-blade knife, and to top it off some marijuana. The law enforcement initiative was taken in part of renewed efforts to stop crime from entering schools.
The Police have made a serious plea to parents to ensure their children are safe, by warning that adults were underestimating the danger of students fighting and carrying weapons to school. Police are urging adults to be better parents and to get involved in their children’s lives by keeping a closer eye on what their children are doing, who they have as friends, and what they are taking to school.
The Police are of the opinion according to media reports that the community isn’t taking children fighting in and around schools and using weapons seriously enough. “This problem that we are facing here is much more serious than we think it is,” Police spokesperson Inspector Ricardo Henson reported to the media.
He adds, “If this problem is not addressed in due time, it can spiral out of control and many young persons might get hurt.”
However, the Police have promised that these controls will continue after the October mid-term break. They definitely must continue as they act from the premise of being a preventative measure. Sadly, though, a young person was stabbed on Wednesday at one of the islands secondary schools.
One possible option that should be considered by educational officials is the so-called “Deans of Discipline.” Jamaica’s Ministry of Education has just completed training its first batch who will be in charge of developing a sustainable framework for maintaining discipline in schools.
The idea for the position of “Dean of Discipline,” emerged out of concerns about the growing level indiscipline and crime in Jamaica schools, and the need to have persons dedicated to behaviour management. A major component of their work is to boost self-worth of students. Much of what you see expressed as (bad) behaviour is a search for identity.
Persons who have been hired for the position are trained in one of the following areas: education, guidance and counselling, social work, psychology and other behavioural fields.
The “Deans of Discipline” will focus on the safety and security of schools, bearing in mind that safety and security is about enhancing the children’s well-being to become goal-oriented successful young adults. The system would also be associated with sanctions and rewards.
Is it a solution for us? Is it something worth pursuing? A nation’s most precious resource is its young people. Some of our young people have turned to violence to resolve problems, a very disturbing trend within a small developing nation such as ours.
“This problem that we are facing here is much more serious than we think it is,” Police spokesperson Inspector Ricardo Henson reported to the media. As a community we should heed his words very seriously.
Roddy Heyliger
