PORT MARIA, St Mary — Chairman of Horace Clarke High School Omar Newell is calling on the Ministry of Education to act quickly and install perimeter fencing at the place of learning which was burgled early Sunday. It is a call Newell said the board has been making for more than seven years.

“The recent break-in at the school underscores long-standing security concerns at the institution, including the absence of adequate perimeter fencing,” said Newell, who is also standard bearer for the Opposition People’s National Party in St Mary Central.

“The Ministry of Education has committed to addressing this through a capital project that includes the construction of a perimeter wall which was slated for inclusion in the 2025-2026 capital budget,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

According to Newell, the school and the board are awaiting an update.

He is hoping swift action will follow Monday’s meeting between the school board’s vice chairman and a representative from the Ministry of Education’s regional office, in which there was an assessment of the issue. He said recommendations have been submitted to the ministry on measures that can be taken to enhance security arrangements in the short-term.

In addition to security concerns, Newell is also calling for a new principal to be appointed. For more than three years the school has had an acting principal.

“The board has completed the recruitment process and has submitted its recommendations and we are now awaiting the ministry’s final approval,” he told the Observer.

Newell noted that strong leadership is critical for the school to navigate challenges such as Sunday’s break-in. Thieves vandalised the principal and bursar’s offices and stole items including a laptop, modem, computer accessories, microwave, and an undetermined sum of money. The school’s tuck shop was also vandalised and items from there stolen.

“It is disheartening to know that individuals would so callously disrupt the teaching and learning environment at Horace Clarke High. Our schools must be safe spaces for students and educators,” Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dana Morris Dixon said in reacting to the incident.

After an interruption in regular operations Monday, classes resumed on Tuesday.