OCHO RIOS, St Ann – The Jamaica Teachers’ Association says it will be working with five government ministries in an effort to improve the level of discipline in schools.

“We need to bring in the ministry of health, of social security, national security, and probably local government and finance because we see it as a multi-ministry thing now. We have to begin to work together to see how we can solve the social problems in the communities because we recognised that many of our children who are displaying unbecoming behaviour have other problems,” JTA president, Wentworth Gabbidon, told reporters at the end of the JTA conference on early childhood in Ocho Rios last Thursday.

Gabbidon said the decision to involve the ministries was out of concern regarding the level of indiscipline both in the schools and the society in general.

“We realise right now that there is a breakdown in discipline in the schools (and) in the society. There is an increase in the level of violent acts being committed against students, against teachers and even by students against other students and against teachers and their properties as well,” the JTA president said.

Gabbidon said he had already spoken to junior education minister, Noel Monteith, about the JTA’s concerns and agreed to look at the problem together from a JTA/ministry perspective.

A report on school violence at last year’s annual conference of the JTA noted that three students were killed during the previous academic year and there were several other incidents of attacks on teachers and students, resulting in at least 25 cases of injuries. The report also cited rape as a regular occurrence in the school system.

Another report, also done last year by the JTA, documented nearly 60 cases of attacks on students by other students or members of surrounding communities and 17 cases in which teachers were victims.