Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says conflict management should form a part of the curricula at schools as a means of reducing violence in the society.

Addressing students and teachers at Manchester High School in Mandeville on Friday (January 12), Prime Minister Holness said the principles of conflict resolution and management are critical to violence reduction and prevention, particularly among youth.

He referenced data indicating that a significant percentage of the shootings and murders are committed by young males under 24 years, adding that they are predominantly the victims of violence.

“We have a problem with resolving conflicts… we have a problem with violence. But we also have a problem with our young men [being] in conflict and using violence [to resolve it] and being the victims of violence.

“Governments usually try not to get too involved in regulating households, even in how they discipline children. But the social problems that we have, have become so challenging, they are now at crisis proportion that the Government has to be direct and instrumental in dealing with this problem of violence in a frontal way,” the Prime Minister stated.

Consequently, he maintained that “we need to take a different approach to solving conflicts; we can’t use violence to solve it.”

“We are going to have to incorporate the schools now, to deliberately teach in the curriculum how to manage conflict. It is going to have to be a curriculum subject,” the Prime Minister emphasised.

Meanwhile, Mr. Holness said there will be greater collaboration with the National Parenting Support Commission (NPSC) and educational institutions to reinforce best principles of conflict resolution.

“There has to be a solid link between the home and the school. What is being taught in the schools must also be reinforced in the homes. So, yes, the two-pronged approach… we will be dealing with the schools directly about treating with conflict and about dealing with violence and building peace; and through the National Parenting Support Commission, we will also be carrying this message to parents to see a transformation of our society,” he stated.

Mr. Holness encouraged the students to be Ambassadors for peace, noting that they will be instrumental to Jamaica’s continued growth and development.

“You are going to be the ones to inherit a properly run and structured economy, and you are going to grow it. You are going to create the labour force that will attract the investment that will [transform] Jamaica into a first world country. But on the other hand, we need good citizens. We need people who will respect the law, we need people who will become good parents, we need people who will take a peaceful stance in resolving conflict.

So as we have worked on the economy and building the productivity of the country… we must now work on the person, the human being,” he underscored.

Prime Minister Holness was joined on the visit to the school by Member of Parliament, Manchester Central, Rhoda Moy Crawford, and other stakeholders.

The Ministry of Education and Youth is preparing the procurement to enable system-wide installations and coordination of security cameras across the education system.

Portfolio Minister, Hon. Fayval Williams, made the disclosure during a statement to the House of Representatives on Tuesday (January 16).

A survey conducted in July 2023 showed 154 schools with a total of 1,955 cameras.

“This year, an additional eight schools have benefited from $15 million in grants to procure CCTV cameras that will improve safety and security at their schools,” Mrs. Williams stated.

The Minister also informed that the Ministry, in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice, will be ramping up restorative justice practices in schools along with conflict resolution.

Approximately 3,600 participants across 120 schools will benefit from this training.

Mrs. Williams pointed out that the team at the Ministry is looking forward to continuing the dialogue with the Ministry of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport to develop an expanded rural transportation programme that will benefit more than the current 7,500 students.

“This programme currently costs approximately $390 million annually,” the Minister noted.

Meanwhile, 150 students across 10 secondary schools will benefit from Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) training, made possible by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) – Positive Pathways to Guidance Counsellors and Social Workers – within the targeted schools.

“CBT training raises awareness of depression, anxiety, personality disorders and other socio-emotional issues,” Mrs. Williams said.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Youth, Dr. Kasan Troupe (seated, right), and Chief Education Officer, Terry-Ann Thomas-Gayle (seated, left), accept a gift from Boston College student, Justin Smith (seated, centre). The occasion was a courtesy call from a Boston College delegation, at the Ministry’s main office in Kingston on Tuesday (January 9).

With the establishment of a smart room, learning should improve at the Homestead Primary and Infant School in St. Catherine.

Recently, the Digicel Foundation gifted the school with the facility at a cost of US$60,000. It is equipped with 12 laptops, 12 tablets, a smart board, a printer, air-conditioning units and is furnished with desks and chairs and can accommodate 24 students at a time.

“This means that Homestead is on a new path for learning, because the students are now into technology a lot, and learning will go up. I expect reading to go up, numeracy level, literacy level – all of them will go up with this smart room. They (students) will have to treat everything in the room with care, so that generations to come will have access to the facility,” said grade-four teacher at the school, Shauna-Kaye Dehaney, in an interview with JIS News.

Reading teacher at the institution, Neisha Davis Carr, said integration of school lessons into technology has become very necessary for students since the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19), and teaching with the various devices “will help them to understand better, because they are using something that they are very familiar with”.

“I am expecting higher grades, and more exciting students,” she said, adding that attendance should also improve.

Meanwhile, Head Girl, Ainsley-Ann Wright, said it is now “easier for the teachers to teach, and I am happy because it is helping students in the school, and I want to thank Digicel for creating this smart room”.

Prefect, Analdo White, said students will learn more in the smart room, and they “need to take care of it, because the future students will need it to understand their work”.

Another student, Paris Newton, said she is overjoyed for the “smart room, because it is going to benefit us a lot”.

“Some kids learn more when they are face-to-face with a tablet or a television,” she said.

For Kevesha Dias, the benefits from the facility will be great. “I look forward to coming to school, and going into the smart room,” she said.

The smart room initiative forms part of Digicel Foundation’s Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) project, which is aimed at helping to bridge the digital divide.

Education and Youth Minister, Hon. Fayval Williams, says the Ministry is committed to exploring how Artificial Intelligence (AI) should be used to benefit the various educational institutions.

Addressing the seventh Dennis Irvine Lecture, hosted by the University Council of Jamaica (UCJ) under the theme – ‘Artificial Intelligence: A Paradigm Shift for Quality Assurance in Higher Education’, Mrs. Williams urged stakeholders to embrace the possibilities that the technology provides for the sector.

“AI introduces personalised and adaptive approaches that cater to the unique needs of each student and has revolutionised the teaching and learning landscape, as shared by many teachers at the primary and secondary levels. The issue of quality assurance in higher education is fundamental for accreditation standards. AI emerges as a potent tool [with the] potential [to make] substantial improvements in the sector,” she said.

The lecture was held on Thursday (October 19) at the University of the West Indies Regional Headquarters in St. Andrew.

Mrs. Wiliams noted that while AI could usher in a new era of an enhanced overall quality education in Jamaica, ethical considerations with the use of AI remain at the forefront.

“Considering that it is not merely about harnessing technology, but also about its responsible and ethical use, with due respect for the rights and privacy of Jamaican students and educators. We must establish comprehensive policies and regulations that guide the development and usage of AI in education,” the Minister said.

These regulations, she added, should encompass data privacy, algorithm transparency and accountability.

“Transparency should be at the core of AI deployment in education, in making Jamaican students, educators, and stakeholders aware of how AI is being deployed and how it affects their educational experiences. Additionally, we should seek to ensure that AI does not exacerbate existing educational disparities,” she emphasised.

The Minister said steps should be taken to provide equitable access to AI enhanced educational resources and opportunities for all Jamaican students.

“We are already equipping them with devices, broadband connectivity, laptops and labs, so that they have no restrictions. As educators, we must prepare our students for the ever-evolving job market, equipping them with skills knowledge they need to thrive in this new era of technology,” Mrs. Williams said.

The lecture was held in memory of Dr. Dennis Irvine, late Chairman of the UCJ, who was a distinguished educator.

Over the course of more than 50 years, Dr Irvine made significant contributions to tertiary education nationally, regionally, and internationally.

He was appointed Chairman of the UCJ in 1987 and served for an initial 11 years.

The noted educator was reappointed to the position in 1996, and served up to his passing.

Dr. Irvine guided accreditation decisions and played a key role in the transition of the University of Technology Jamaica (UTech) and Northern Caribbean University (NCU) from college to university status.

He also presided over a number of committees, including the Tertiary Articulation Committee which created the tertiary qualifications framework which now serves as the benchmark for the Jamaican tertiary education system.