KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — Edith Dalton James High School in St Andrew has been equipped with a walk-through metal detector provided under the US$4-million Improved Safety and Security in Schools Project.

Launched in October, the project is intended to reduce the incidence of crime among youth between the ages of 10 and 29 years, and will target 981 primary and secondary schools and 50 communities. Education Minister, Ruel Reid, in his remarks at the commissioning of the scanner at Edith Dalton High today said the installation of such devices “is really a tool to reinforce the values of discipline, the values of non-violence, the values of respect and love for each other”.

“This is a message that must resonate, a message that every person in Jamaica, every adult also needs to impart; so we want parents to display love and care towards their children,” he noted. Meanwhile, Reid said he was pleased with the results of a recent study done by the National Council on Drug Abuse, which shows that there has been a decrease in violence in Jamaican schools.

“I’m happy to have learnt of the survey recently… where they have seen a positive trend downwards in our schools in terms of violence and conflict,” he said.

The detector at Edith Dalton was among five walk-through scanners and over 130 handheld metal detector wands the USAID preented to the Education Ministry on November 15.

They are to be deployed in schools worst affected by violent and antisocial behaviours.

Acting Chief of Mission, United States Embassy in Jamaica, Maura Barry Boyle, said the commissioning of the walk-through scanner at Edith Dalton James “is one more step forward in achieving our ultimate aim of reducing violent incidents in our school communities”.

“We are not aiming to turn our schools into security facilities, but we must recognise that when we reduce the number of weapons in our schools, we gradually reduce the number of deadly and violent incidents,” she pointed out.

Edith Dalton James Principal, Orlando Worges, said every school in Jamaica should have a metal detector.

“It is something that we welcome because of the potential that it has, and not just for our students but anyone wishing to enter our school,” he added.

Some of the objectives of the Improved Safety and Security in Schools Project are to reduce violence, critical incidents and antisocial behaviour among youth; engage parents and communities in behaviour-change processes; and provide co-curricular activities, such as youth clubs and uniformed groups, so as to reduce antisocial behaviour.

The Improved Safety and Security in Schools Project is a collaboration among the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information; the USAID, and the National Education Trust.