Alexander L. Shaw | Tackling indiscipline in schools with stronger leadership

As the nation grapples with the state of gross decadence in our society that has spilled over into our schools, I urge all well-thinking Jamaicans to join the call for better and more responsive leadership in schools, to tackle what appears to be a national crisis. While I support the argument for the allocation of more resources, poor management of the said resources will revert to the same conditions or even worse.

There is an apparent difference in the behaviour of students, and by extension parents, in schools with strong and dedicated leadership. Strong leadership is not one and the same as bullyism. And since principals are responsible for the day-to-day leadership of schools, the buck stops with them. Poor academic performance and social decay in some schools are reflective of the quality of leadership being given to these institutions.

During my tenure in the education system, both at the secondary and tertiary levels, I observed that some school administrators were more focused on victimising staff than responding promptly to the naked needs of students.

As per Section 30(6) of the Education Regulation 1980, the principal has a discretion to report abnormal behaviour of students to the minister of education. The minister who according to the regulation, should in turn take steps to ensure that specialist opinion and treatment is obtained for the student. Actions like these should not be at the discretion of the principal, but should be mandatory for purposes of transparency and accountability. As some teachers will tell you, they have complained time and time again about dysfunctional and maladjusted students, with little or no actions being taken, except for a suspension in very egregious cases.

The regulation is also in need of amendment to remove the need to seek approval from parents or guardians before reporting the said abnormality of students to the minister. The reality in some schools shows that parents and guardians are sometimes non-existent in their child’s or ward’s academic life, further compounding the problem.

PARENT’S RESPONSIBILITY

Additionally, I do support the call of Prime Minister Andrew Holness to craft legislation to make parents vicariously liable for the actions of their children, particularly in schools, as well as disciplinary actions against parents for their misconduct against other students or teachers in the course of their duty. However, this without more will not resolve the deep-seated culture of indiscipline and violence in our schools.

It is my humble belief that every education region across the island should have a detention centre with trained military teachers, guidance counsellors and social workers manning these institutions, and in whose care students on suspension for not less than 10 days should remain until there is noticeable improvement in their behaviour.

Against this background, there is a need for a standardised code of conduct for students islandwide, to avoid the risk of abuse of power by some school administrators.

IN-HOUSE SUSPENSION

A child who remains at home unsupervised during a suspension is a likely target for criminal organisations, as it is a departure from common sense to think working-class parents have the resources to engage suspended students productively. My experience in the system has exposed me to the limited human resources to facilitate in-house suspension, a method that oftentimes prove futile and goes against the spirit and purpose of the suspension.

The answer is not always expulsion, neither is it the colonial habit of caning, as the Jamaica Teachers’ Association president would want us to think.

The answer is stronger leadership in our schools and better parenting. A standardised code of conduct coupled with suspension/detention centres islandwide, properly managed and equipped with the tools to engage, disabuse and rehabilitate our children.

These are just a few of the national responses needed if we are to cure our children from the disease of indiscipline bedevilling our nation.

Alexander L. Shaw is an attorney-at-law and adjunct lecturer. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com