As Jamaica continues to grapple with the persistent underperformance of boys in school, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is offering an alternative path that combines academics, discipline, and mentorship to help young men find their footing.

The JCF Cadet Academy, established in September 2021, was born out of the police force’s experience working with young people through its Safe Schools Programme and other youth initiatives where cops observed particular challenges among boys, including truancy.

Speaking on the JCF’s Force4Good podcast, principal of the academy Deputy Superintendent of Police Tanecia Johnson said the force recognised the need for a setting where it could provide more focused support to young men.

“When those reports come in, it’s always about the boys outnumbering the girls in terms of truancy and so on, and so as a force… we decided that something must be done in terms of having a better structure to have these boys in an area where we can have that direct concentration,” she said.

The academy now combines traditional schooling with a highly structured boarding environment, with police, trained teachers, guidance counsellors, and other staff working closely with the students.

Johnson said the academy’s approach is based on more than discipline, with staff seeking to understand the circumstances affecting each student and build relationships that encourage them to open up.

“Oftentimes in the schools the students will tell us as the police, as their mentors, as their motivators, things that they will not tell a school principal, things that they will not tell their parents,” she revealed.

Those conversations, Johnson said, allow the academy to address issues such as anger, identity, purpose, attitude and a student’s plans for the future.

This video grab shows Jamaica Constabulary Force Cadet Academy Principal Deputy Superintendent of Police Tanecia Johnson explaining the operations of the training institution.(Video: Jamaica Constabulary Force)

The approach is producing encouraging academic results.

This year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) performance included a 100 per cent pass rate in information technology and physical education and sports, while human and social biology recorded 98 per cent, English A 92 per cent, and office administration 90 per cent. Mathematics recorded a 75 per cent pass rate.

At the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) level, communication studies recorded an 88 per cent pass rate, information technology 93 per cent, law – unit one 84 per cent, and law – unit two 75 per cent. Johnson said the results represent the academy’s best academic performance since it was established.

For Johnson, however, the results are only part of what the academy is trying to achieve.

She recalled the experience of a 17-year-old student who arrived after struggling to gain CSEC passes. When staff spoke with him about his experience they discovered that his academic difficulties did not necessarily reflect his ability.

“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,” she said.

Johnson said that philosophy extends to how students are treated when they make mistakes. Rather than focusing on punishment, staff speak of corrective measures and ensure students have immediate access to adults when problems arise.

According to Johnson, the academy normally takes about 80 students in an intake and has approximately 10 resident facilitators and 15 external teachers, in addition to administrators, guidance counsellors, and access to the JCF’s medical services. It currently offers seven CSEC and four CAPE subjects.

In this video grab, Jamaica Constabulary Force Cadet Academy recruits go through a drill during training at the instituion. (Video: Jamaica Constabulary Force)

The academy also serves as a potential pathway into the JCF, although Johnson stressed that becoming a cop is not compulsory and admission to the academy does not guarantee recruitment.

Students who want to join the force must still meet the requirements, sit the JCF entrance examination, and undergo further background checks.

Of the 35 students who graduated on June 25 this year, 34 were awaiting the next intake to join the JCF, while one planned to attend university first.

Johnson said that, overall, 99.9 per cent of students who choose to pursue policing after completing the programme progress towards the JCF, with more than 175 former cadets now serving in the organisation.

But the academy’s purpose is not simply to produce police personnel.

Johnson said students are encouraged to pursue tertiary education or other careers if that is the path they choose, while the JCF hopes the education and personal development they receive will prepare them for life beyond the academy.

The academy’s model comes against a separate national conversation about the performance of boys in Jamaica’s education system, where they continue to face challenges in areas such as engagement, attendance, and academic achievement.

That wider concern provides an important backdrop to the academy’s results, but Johnson said the programme itself grew from the JCF’s direct experience with young people and its decision to create a more concentrated intervention.