Teachers fearful amid surge in school violence

 

The Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA) says teachers are now in fear due to the surge in violence in the island's schools.

 

JTA President Leighton Johnson told Radio Jamaica News that there is growing concern among the teaching cohort about the number of students, involved in gang activities, being allowed in schools among the student population.

 

He said the crisis is taking a toll on the mental state of educators and school administrators.

 

"What teachers have indicated to me is that when they have to consistently be dealing with these levels of violence, where there is a constant need to be managing disruptive behaviour, diffusing conflicts and ensuring that they have to take control of these situations all the time, it takes a toll on their mental and emotional health. And what we have seen is that over time, this chronic stress can lead to burnout, and this is what our teachers have indicated that they are experiencing on a daily basis. Teachers are afraid," he complained.

 

The JTA president, who lamented that some teachers are aware of "student gangsters" but are apprehensive to approach them, repeated his call for school administrations and boards to be decisive and remove students suspected of being involved in gang activities.

 

"Ensure that you follow the protocols and you remove these individuals from the schools who are insistent on dealing with their conflicts aggressively, who are violent prone, who will not yield to the positive interventions and support, who will consistently want to disrupt the harmony of the school," he urged.