Students urged to end violence in schools

Thirty-six students who have been placed in high schools following this year's GSAT examinations, were on Friday, September 25, urged to "focus on learning and helping to end violence in schools."

The call was made by Senior Adviser in the Ministry of Education Alphansus Davis, who was speaking at the annual GSAT Awards recognition function, organised by Manpower & Maintenance Services Limited (MMS) at their headquarters, in Kingston.

Davis, who underscored the Ministry's commitment to the Safe Schools programme, said violence among the school age population "has been acknowledged by the World Health Organisation as being on a growth path."

He added that this is borne out by data from the Planning Institute of Jamaica which shows that "Children of school age in Jamaica were reported as being responsible for 14 per cent of all murders and 16 per cent of all rapes." He said, "Children between 12-18 years are also involved in a significant number of robberies and carnal abuse."

Davis said while the Safe Schools initiative has been instituted to curb the escalating problem of violence in the nation's schools, its success depends on the co-operation of the entire school population. He encouraged the students to maximise the opportunity provided through secondary education. This, he said, would play a great role in preventing them from becoming either "perpetrators or victims of violence in schools."

In her address Audrey Hinchcliffe, CEO of MMS, reminded students that "despite the challenges, there is much to hope for in the future and secondary education provides an opportunity for you to realise your dreams. I, therefore, encourage you to work hard so that you can make a real contribution to your own, as well as Jamaica's development."

More than 200 students have benefited from the programme since it was introduced by MMS in 2003.

CAPTION: Alphansus Davis (second right), senior adviser in the Ministry of Education, and Audrey Hinchcliffe, chief executive officer of Manpower and Maintenance Services Limited, speak with some of the recipients of the company's annual Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) awards at the company's office on September 24. - Contributed