A harsh Jamaican reality is that many adults are inclined to violence as a first resort in dealing with disagreements and perceived slights.

It explains, to some extent, the appallingly high crime rate.

Since children learn from their elders, violence is common among students in many schools, creating a headache for educators and allied staff, and an overarching atmosphere of fear and apprehension.

Last year, two students — a 16 year-old boy at William Knibb Memorial High in Trelawny and a girl of the same age at Kingston Technical High — died during fights at school. Matters of no great moment led to death.

The incident at William Knibb is said to have resulted from a confrontation over a guard ring. Convicted on the lesser charge of manslaughter, the juvenile who survived the fight is to serve four years and four months behind bars.

Following the tragedy at Kingston Technical, a 17-year-old girl is before the courts on a murder charge.

We all know that violence in schools is not new and, as we have said, can’t be separated from the tendency in wider society. However, available evidence suggests that the problem is much greater now than in the past.

That’s perhaps partly due to retardation in social interaction caused by long breaks from school since the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic in early 2020.

Understandably, stress and anxiety levels in the wider society have heightened as a result of the many videos on social media focused on school violence. Modern communication technology has changed much. Consider that today anyone with a cellphone can instantly circulate videos of mayhem to the world. Decades ago, knowledge of such incidents was largely restricted to locale.

The problem is extreme, and efforts to grapple — using proactive alternative dispute resolution measures as part of an ongoing restorative justice programme — deserve applause.

We are told that 500 schools will fall under the programme in 2023, up from 232 last year.

In simple terms, the programme encourages individuals to talk out differences and disputes and to seek mediation from others whom they respect.

In schools, as we understand it, teachers and school leaders are being trained in conflict resolution.

Of course, for success to be achieved, alternative dispute resolution must be all-inclusive, as Justice Minister Mr Delroy Chuck indicated recently at a function held as part of Restorative Justice Week.

Mr Chuck tells us that, “[W]e’re taking it to the schools, to the churches and to the communities. Restorative justice is God sent… It is about accepting responsibility and about forgiveness, which is exactly what our Lord Jesus Christ preached…”

We agree with principal of Kingston Technical High School Mr Maulton Campbell that conflict resolution helps “in the healing process… It will help [students] to process those emotions [and] to improve their behaviour. Eventually, they’re going to grow into productive citizens who are able to cope and who are more equipped with the skill sets to deal with conflicts that may arise in their lives…”

Ultimately, we believe, sustained, proactive efforts to encourage the peaceful resolution of conflicts will nurture cultural and behaviour change — badly needed if we are ever to achieve a peaceful, harmonious society.