ST JAMES, Jamaica — Education Minister, Senator Ruel Reid, has disclosed that plans are afoot for a fulsome deployment of closed-circuit television (CCTV) in schools.

“The one that I am very fascinated about that will really be music to your ears is a fulsome deployment of CCTV network across our schools,” Reid disclosed on Thursday during his address at the inaugural conference and official launch of the National Association of Deans of Disciplined (NADD.

The conference was held at the Sunscape Splash Resort in St James under the theme, ‘Safe School, Secure Future’.

Reid, who did not give full details, pointed out that the CCTV, which are commonly referred to as video surveillance, will be of the highest grade technology featuring artificial intelligence capable of identifying high risk students in schools.

“We are going for the highest grade technology with analytics and artificial intelligence capabilities. So, that will assist you very greatly even in identifying…, not only tracking weapons that have been brought on campuses, but even identifying students who are high risk, because you see them with some persistent type behaviour, then you can be able to easily identify them and track,” Reid explained, adding: “It has all other kind of features [like] identifying motor vehicles as they move in and out of your campus, etc.”

The education minister pointed out that safety and security is the number one priority of his ministry and therefore as a means of supporting schools and the work of Deans of Discipline, they will not be left out of the adequate resources needed to manage the discipline in schools.

Thursday’s function was a collaboration between the Ministry of Education and the School Safety and Security Unit.

Anthony Lewis