From Jamaican ministry of education
Violence and aggression continue to be the major causes of trauma within some schools, as a
small, yet significant number of students become involved in gang rivalry; drug trafficking,
drug use, drug abuse and fights, sometimes with deadly weapons. These incidents usually
result in violent acts that are sometimes fatal, affecting the entire school community and
causing major disruptions. Sometimes too, trauma results from unplanned events and
accidents happening in and around the school compound.
In the late 90’s, the Guidance & Counselling Unit designed and carried out a Violence
Frequency Survey, as well as monitored the use of a critical incident register in 250 schools
across the island. The results of these two initiatives pointed to the fact that the critical
incidents were on the rise and thus required a multidisciplinary approach in addressing them.
As a result, strategies were employed to lessen the impact of these incidents on the school
community. These strategies included training workshops for guidance counsellors and other
school personnel, the development of multi-disciplinary critical incident management team at
the school level, and trauma response teams within the regions.
The Ministry of Education continues to collaborate with government agencies as well as nongovernmental
organisations in implementing school-based initiatives aimed at developing a
peaceful and safe school environment. Current peace initiatives being implemented in
schools islandwide include the Change from Within Programme, the Pathways to Peace
Programme, Peace and Love in Society (PALS), and the Safe Schools Programme