EDUCATION Minister Senator Ruel Reid says several schools across the island will soon see the introduction of closed-circuit television (CCTV) equipment in a move to improve the state of safety and security in the nation’s places of learning.

Speaking with the Jamaica Observer on Tuesday, Reid said there is need for an integrated approach to ensuring that schools are safe and conducive to learning.

“We are putting resources [in place] by us deploying safety and security officers in schools… and then we’re building out some fencing and will install CCTV, that is in our strategic plan for the next three years.”

The former school principal added that his ministry has acknowledged that security of the physical school plants is an important part of the safety.

“We also have $100 million that will be programmed in our capital budget to build out of fencing as is targeted in certain priority schools, and we will eventually get to everybody.”

He explained that as a farewell gift from the last United States Ambassador to Jamaica Luis Moreno, the diplomat facilitated the ministry acquiring a grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to shore up the efforts at security.

“We’ve got a US$3-million grant from USAID to help in this regard. Full credit to the past US Ambassdor Moreno; he was very instrumental in security this grant, it was his last major gift to Jamaica and we thank him so very much and the Government of the United States.

“What we want also is a full network of the latest technology with artificial intelligence and camera system that will give us the analytics that will be connected into the Ministry of National Security’s infrastructure. This grant is part of getting us in that particular direction over the next three years,” he explained.

As part of the terms of the grant, there is a counterpart fund of $1 million set up by the the Government of Jamaica to advance the mission.

Chief Education Officer Dr Grace McLean, meanwhile, indicated that the ministry has placed emphasis on this area of school management with the establishment of the Safety and Security Unit headed by Assistant Superintendent of Police Coleridge Minto.

“We have increased the capacity of safety and security…so this is a priority for the ministry. The unit now has eight persons, both administrative as well as technical, so they are not only able to respond to the reactive things that happen, like a stabbing incident or an accident, but they are working directly with the schools in the setting up of their safety and security committees and helping them to do regular safety audits to make sure the environment is conducive to learning…It is a holistic approach to safety.”

She said a team is already looking at the inclusion of a module for safety and security in the new Health and Family Life curriculum, which would be extrapolated to include safety measures such as preparedness and what to do in the event a hurricane threatens.

— Miguel A Thomas