KINGSTON, Jamaica— Education Minister Fayval Williams has condemned as “totally unacceptable”, the brawl between a student and a senior teacher at the Kemps Hill High School in Clarendon.

Both teacher and student were caught on video on Wednesday exchanging blows before being separated by a security guard after they had fallen to the ground during the fisticuffs.

READ: Teacher and student fight at Clarendon school – incident caught on video

They were cheered on by students who stood by watching the fight which has been widely circulated on social media.

“I am again urging all teachers and students to use peaceful means to resolve disputes. Teachers have to utilise their training in dispute resolution to defuse tension, especially in situations where tempers flare and potentially threaten to explode into violent actions,” Williams said.

She is also calling for parents to encourage their children to always show respect for teachers. “There is no place in our schools for students to be fighting teachers,” she stated.

Williams is urging teachers, students and all education stakeholders to avail themselves of the numerous training opportunities in dispute resolution which are being spearheaded by the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Education and Youth, in partnership with other organisations in the education sector.

“Violence cannot be a default position in our education system and our society and neither should we normalise it. We must condemn violence in all of its forms in our schools,” Williams insisted.