New York, USA — In their desperate quest to find ways to steer male students away from violence, the Belfield Primary School in St Mary has teamed up with a former principal now living here to launch a Gentlemen’s Club for the boys.

The creative idea was spawned by the educators amidst the recent spate of violence in some schools across the country, and in particular the deaths of two male students in Westmoreland and St James.

They were especially outraged by a viral video showing a female student beating and stomping on another female while she appeared helpless on the schoolyard ground.

Milton G Hanchard, who was principal of the then Belfield All-Age school, said the concept of the Gentlemen’s Club was to prepare the boys to deal with conflict resolution and “even more importantly, to address concerns about the widening gap in the male-female graduating ratios especially at the tertiary level”.

Past Principal Milton Hanchard

Another aim of the club, he said, was to strengthen the partnership among school, parents, and the community to expose youngsters by widening their horizons and “creating a thirst for learning with the hope of making them better students and more adaptable and productive citizens”, Hanchard said.

He noted that employment statistics in various professions were revealing discouraging numbers among young men, with an unacceptable male-female social interaction.

The ex-principal citing statistics showing that about 90 per cent of judges are female and likewise, 70 per cent of teachers in the classroom.

Arguing that there is a serious problem with the young boys which must be addressed, Hanchard said the situation could likely be helped with more males in the classrooms.

The Gentlemen’s Club comprises male students carefully identified by their form teachers in grades four to six. Churches, businesses and community organisations across the parish would soon be invited to get involved in the project, said Hanchard.

“It is hoped that it can be used as a template by other schools so that we can all move in one direction while leaving no child behind.”

The club, which has the full support of current principal, Michael Calvert, himself a past student, convenes its bi-monthly meeting under the guidance of coordinator Audrey Murphy along with parent representative, Ann Marie Russell-Palmer.