Violence in schools - 'Ministry sets us up with GSAT'

Denise Clarke, Staff Reporter

WESTERN BUREAU:

The Ministry of Education is unwittingly fuelling violence in the country's reclassified high schools through the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT).

This was the consensus reached by 150 administrators of reclassified schools last week. They were attending the annual retreat of the Association of Principals and Vice Principals at Beaches Negril.

The administrators said that the incidence of violence in their schools was causing them concern and that the main offenders often displayed a lower level of literacy. Some administrators blamed the Ministry of Education for sending low achievers to their schools.

"Part of the problem is that the Ministry (of Education) sets us up by virtue of GSAT placements," said Sherlock Allen, principal of the Mavis Bank High School in St. Andrew.

Mr. Allen said the stigma of who did or did not pass the Common Entrance Examinations was removed with the introduction of GSAT, but he said the Ministry did not use this opportunity to distribute the students equally with the traditional high schools.

"We were hoping that with the change from Common Entrance to GSAT, Government would be brave enough to mix the students in the schools based on the results, instead of creaming off. Government has not used the opportunity of GSAT to share students so that one set of schools wouldn't seem to be more violent because they had lower achievers."

Principal of the Seaforth High School in St. Thomas, Hopeton Henry, said the issue of violence being perpetrated by lower achievers needs to be seriously researched. He said a large number of violent incidents go unreported, as the schools do not want to tarnish their image.

"There are numerous cases that are not reported because we want to protect the good name of the school. They are really hiding the scope of the problem," said Mr. Henry, who admitted to collecting a large box of knives and other weapons from students through random searches on the school compound last year.

"It is the searches and the constant vigilance. If we weren't doing that there would be a lot more murders."

He said teachers who leave students unsupervised at class time are to blame for some incidents.

Mr. Henry said high risk factors to look for in potentially violent students include those who threaten other students, a history of aggressive behaviour, social withdrawal, substance abuse and low interest in class.

The retreat which began on Thursday ends today.

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