Jamaica College Principal rejects "outdated" police survey

Ruel Reid, Principal of Jamaica College, has rejected aspects of a study conducted by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) which found a correlation between the performance of some schools and crime in Jamaica.    

In particular, he has dismissed the finding which singled out Jamaica College as the only traditional high school on the list of 18 institutions, saying it does not reflect the current reality at the school.

“It’s unfortunate how we like to grandstand in this country because, as far as I’m aware of… this research is dated and it does not in any way represent what is happening at Jamaica College today,” Reid told RJR News.

Correctional system

The findings of the study, presented in the House of Representatives on Tuesday by Education Minister Ronald Thwaites, makes a link between the poor performance of the schools identified and some of their former students ending up in the country’s correctional system.

"The research unearthed evidence to suggest that the names of some schools were more likely to be featured than others. There is also overwhelming evidence to infer, with a high degree of confidence, that at least seven out of 10 inmates in our adult prisons have had some association with a non-traditional high school," the study said.

Particular challenges

Jamaica College is the only traditional high school featured on the list of eighteen schools. Acknowledging that there had been “particular challenges” at Jamaica College in the recent past, Reid, who was appointed Principal at the school in 2006, asserted that significant success had been achieved in changing that situation, “and now Jamaica College is, unquestionably, a school of choice.”

The ongoing transformation at Jamaica College has attracted significant national attention, and has seen a restoration of interest in the school by parents, anxious for more viable high school options for their sons.