JAMAICANS should take a closer look at what is happening at the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Cadet Academy because it offers a compelling lesson in what can happen when boys are given structure, attention, discipline and, importantly, people who believe in them.

Established in 2021 after police working in schools repeatedly encountered the troubling reality of boys’ truancy and disengagement, the academy has developed into far more than a pipeline into policing. It is an intervention aimed at helping young men find purpose, develop character, and discover that their circumstances do not have to determine their destiny.

That mission has become especially important at a time when callous, bloodthirsty criminal gangs prey on alienation, anger, poverty, insecurity, and the desire for belonging to recruit vulnerable boys.

What those criminals are really offering is a counterfeit version of status, brotherhood, and economic opportunity.

Jamaica cannot afford to leave that contest to chance.

Every boy who is pulled away from truancy, hopelessness, and delinquency and placed on a path towards education and responsible citizenship is a potential life saved and, potentially, a family spared grief.

The academy deserves credit precisely because it appears to understand that boys cannot always be reached through lectures, punishment, and conventional approaches. Its principal, Deputy Superintendent Tanecia Johnson, and her team have demonstrated an appreciation for the fact that educating boys requires more than delivering a curriculum.

It requires relationships, and adults who are prepared to listen to what young men are reluctant to tell their parents or school principals. It also requires understanding the anger, confusion, identity struggles, and questions about purpose that can sit beneath poor attendance or disappointing grades. Additionally, it requires discipline that corrects rather than simply condemns.

That philosophy is reflected in the academy’s encouraging academic performance. The latest Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) results included 100 per cent passes in information technology, physical education, and sports; 98 per cent in human and social biology; 92 per cent in English A; and 90 per cent in office administration. Of significant note is that Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination results were also strong.

But the most important achievement, we believe, is the transformation of a young man who begins to believe that he has a future.

The story shared by Deputy Superintendent (DSP) Tanecia Johnson of the 17-year-old who arrived after struggling to obtain CSEC passes is instructive.

“When staff spoke with him about his experience they discovered that his academic difficulties did not necessarily reflect his ability,” she said.

“Sometimes all it takes is a change of environment for these youngsters, and at the Cadet Academy we’re thriving because, first and foremost, we have educators, we have our teachers, but love is central to what we do,” DSP Johnson added.

A change of environment, greater attention, and a supportive community helped unlock something that had not flourished in his previous circumstances. That should make us ask difficult questions about how Jamaica educates boys more broadly.

This is not to suggest that the JCF should become a substitute for Jamaica’s education system.

The larger objective is more important: Producing young men equipped to become responsible citizens.

The JCF deserves commendation for recognising the problem and creating a targeted response.