Editorial | More cadets, please!

There is a recruitment drive afoot to double Cadet Units in the nation’s schools. Distinct for being the oldest uniformed group in the island, the Jamaica Combined Cadet Force (JCCF) is among groups partnering with the Ministry of Education in its safety and security programme. The aim is to have Cadet Units in all high schools, doing the important job of equipping students with leadership and life skills.

In a week when a Trelawny school is straining at the leash to contain the fallout from the stabbing death of a student and the arrest of another, it’s an opportunity for teachers and parents to throw their full support behind the efforts which are designed to safeguard the health and security of students.

School violence is a major headache for teachers and school administrators who are forced to spend an inordinate amount of time searching for weapons and enforcing discipline on a school population that has become generally more disruptive, more aggressive and often violent.

Even with more than 200 members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) renamed school resource officers (SROs) and deployed in various schools, indiscipline is rife and teachers struggle to keep their students in line. As we have said in this space, given the limited manpower of the JCF, their resources ought to be put to better use than playing the role of child-minders.

WORTH EXAMINING

So how might joining groups like the JCCF help? It’s worth examining the significance of such an initiative, even while we acknowledge the mosaic of complex factors that contribute to school violence. Family dynamics, community influences, peer pressure, school climate, including bullying, are among some of the triggers for violent behaviours and there are no quick and fast answers.

But we do know that discipline is a transferable skill and there is no doubt that the discipline codes of a the JCCF, which is sponsored by the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), could become a game changer if it can successfully promote non-violence and foster positive relationships.

The JCCF comes with the benefit of the JDF’s image of being a disciplined, efficient force. A volunteer cadet quickly learns the importance of following orders and understands the benefits of physical fitness, endurance and mental alertness, which are all important qualities in the development of wholesome men and women. In training, they are taught important skills such as map reading, disaster preparedness, community engagement and first aid. Standing tall and looking sharp, as cadets are wont to do, is something worthy of emulation.

It is a fact that many of today’s children are growing up in single-family households, and too often there are no father figures or male role models. Groups like the JCCF offer mentorship opportunities and character development by helping youngsters on the path to maturity.

Discipline in schools not only affects academic performance but ultimately sets the foundation for the students’ success in life. This discipline to which we refer can easily be identified as a vital component of boarding school operations. Perhaps, as the Ministry of Education searches for solutions to stem the indiscipline that pervades the schools’ corridors, it may consider how to encourage, expand and broaden the concept of boarding schools in Jamaica. These institutions have been outstanding in maintaining discipline while achieving academic targets.

Under the watchful eyes of school administration, students in the boarding school environment are expected to adhere to prescribed rules and regulations and where these are flouted, there is usually punishment.

We submit there is no magic bullet to lessen indiscipline and the resultant violence in our schools. The problem has to be tackled on all fronts. An expansion in JCCF Units to include all high schools must count for something in this search for solutions.