KINGSTON, Jamaica – Deans of discipline will continue to carry out inspections at the Half-Way Tree Transport Centre in the new school year.

The officers, under an arrangement with the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC), carried out regular checks at the centre during the last school year, in order to reduce the number of students converging at the bus centre, which often results in undisciplined behaviour.

Dean of Discipline at the Ardenne High School in St Andrew, Rev Mario Samuels, told JIS News that the checks have been carried out at the centre even before any arrangement with the JUTC.

These checks are to be continuously carried out throughout the 2015/2016 academic year, he informed.

Marketing and communications manager at the State-owned bus company, Clinton Clarke, told JIS News that he is looking forward to the return of deans of discipline to the transport centre early into the new school year. 

 “The deans of discipline from different schools would come in (to the centre) and do their regular checks and see how the students are behaving and get them out pretty quickly,” he pointed out. 

According to the manager, the initiative, which is more than a year old, has led to the reduction of physical incidents among students from Corporate Area high schools.

“On a monthly basis, we are talking about (having) 120 (incidents) and then it came down to 70,” he said.

Clarke noted that in the Half-Way Tree Transport Centre, Guardsman has been contracted by the JUTC to provide security as well as the Port Security Corps. A police post is also located on the top floor of the structure. 

However, despite this, Clarke is of the opinion that in order to truly reduce physical incidents among students, parents must ensure that children get home early.