Dear Editor,

I recently read an article in The Gleaner in which Dr Horace Chang, minister of justice, lamented the state of affairs in our schools regarding violence and scamming.

He emphasised the urgent need to prioritise social intervention strategies alongside police support to curb the impact of crime on our youth. No doubt, the challenges facing our schools are multifaceted, and the solutions are neither simple nor straightforward. With school out for the summer holidays, I urge school leaders and the Ministry of Education to re-evaluate their school structures beyond anti-violence plans and School-wide Positive Behaviour Intervention and Support (SWPBIS) mantras.

Given the recent spate of violence and aggression in our schools, it is imperative that all stakeholders seek to tackle this issue more sustainably. The rate of bullying and violent outbursts is increasing every year and these are only the reported cases; thus, I call on schools to scrutinise their hidden and null curricula in which a culture of bullying may be implicit and entrenched. I know that no principal or school leader would want to admit that their school might be systemically complicit in these acts, but we must take a different approach and reassess our strategies.

The school environment for many children today represents a universe in which they are exposed to and even taught violence. Fighting, verbal abuse, intimidation, humiliation, sexual abuse, and gang violence are serious concerns. As a parent and educator, I am deeply troubled. As my child transitions to high school, I cannot help but be concerned about what she might encounter in this very different atmosphere. Too many students are witnessing and experiencing violence in an environment in which they should be focused on learning and enjoying their education. A UNICEF report outlined that nine in 10 students have seen a child being bullied at school in Jamaica, and many students fear going to school because of bullying and school violence.

Viewing school violence, especially bullying, as a generational problem rather than one of individual children reveals its connection to the manifestations of power within school organisations. Important questions need to be asked:

1) What underlying systemic elements make bullying so prevalent in schools?

2) Could schools have systemic structures that inadvertently promote or tolerate bullying and other violence?

We must recognise that certain long-standing practices, such as drawing on age or physical strength and engaging in our age-old customs of ‘ragging’ or ‘grubbing’, contribute to a systemic issue that fosters school violence and bullying. Through the hidden curriculum, some students learn to utilise bullying as a means to influence others and navigate school, both socially and academically. Research shows that being bullied is not a harmless rite of passage but casts a long shadow over people’s lives, even into adulthood.

Yes, we can train teachers on anti-bullying strategies and implement protocols, but the problem must also be addressed systemically. Bullying thrives in certain atmospheres and becomes embedded in the school’s culture and psychosocial practices. For instance, if a school implicitly values dominance, competition, and conformity over empathy, students may internalise these values and express them through bullying. So by examining the organisational structure and psychosocial climate of schools, we can gain insights on how to better promote equity in school experiences of all learners, especially those at risk – our new students who are seen as being ‘grubs’.

Let’s take another look at school violence from a different angle. We are Jamaicans; of course we can do this!

Shellon Samuels-White

shellon.samuels-white@themico.edu.jm