The Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, PSOJ, is recommending the establishment of school-based dispute resolution centres to address violence in the nation’s schools.
The PSOJ’s position follows a recent upsurge in violent and sometimes deadly encounters between high school students.
Mahiri Stewart reports.
In a statement on Monday, the PSOJ proposed that the centres be integrated within guidance counselling units and the offices of Deans Of Discipline.
The organisation is recommending that the centres be staffed by conflict resolution professionals.
It says these centres could provide a structured avenue for amicably resolving conflicts while fostering an environment of respect, understanding and peaceful co-existence.
Meanwhile, the organisation is calling for the strategic use of data from existing interventions to equip educators and counsellors with tools for early detection and effective response.
The PSOJ says using this shared data collaboratively and strategically can reveal critical high-risk indicators often missed when operating in silos.
And the organisation’s president Metry Seaga says as the nation enters Child Month, it must reflect on the future being creating for Jamaica’s children.
He says the PSOJ is intensifying its engagement with community leaders, parents and students.
However Mr. Seaga is calling on all Jamaicans to join this cause – advocating for policies and initiatives that promote peace, respect and empathy among the youth.
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