Inter-Ministerial School Support Strategy to Be Boosted

The Inter-Ministerial School Support Strategy (ISSS), which is aimed at eradicating violence in schools, will benefit from a financial boost over the next two fiscal years.

The support will be provided under the six-year Violence Prevention Partnership between the Government of Jamaica and the United Kingdom (UK).

The two governments formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) recently at the Ministry of National Security in Kingston.

Valued at approximately $2.9 billion (15 million pounds), the partnership aims to identify the root causes of crime in the Jamaican society as well as to strengthen the country’s crime-fighting efforts.

Speaking at the signing of the MOU at the Ministry of National Security in Kingston, State Minister, Hon. Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn, explained that the Violence Prevention Partnership aims to address underlying factors that perpetuate violence in the society.

She noted that the support will enhance capacity to deliver evidence-based interventions, including the ISSS.

“Through this partnership and programme, we will make even greater strides. The ISSS utilises targeted Zone of Special Operations (ZOSO)-based schools as the entry points for intervention as part of a multisectoral approach, which includes…psychosocial support through case management from within the Ministry,” she pointed out.

“Our efforts extend beyond service delivery. We are also committed to building a foundation of sustained impact, one that fosters collaboration and is data-driven… and the engagement of all stakeholders. This programme is also about laying the framework and the groundwork for a safer and more prosperous Jamaica for tomorrow,” Mrs. Cuthbert-Flynn said.

Speaking with JIS News following the signing of the MOU, Acting Director of the Safety and Security Unit in the Ministry of Education and Youth, Richard Troupe, said with the financial backing from the partnership, the Ministry plans to implement literacy and psychosocial support programme in schools as part of measures to address violence among students.

“At the high-school level, literacy software is to be made available to support our children who are reading below their grade levels. At the primary school level, we will be engaging in creative language-based learning…. we are also focusing on psychosocial support,” he informed.

Mr. Troupe said the Ministry is pleased that much of the interventions under the UK-JA Violence Prevention Partnership will focus on improving the life chances of vulnerable children and building the educational institutions that serve them.

“All in all, our intention is to ensure that we are building the social capital and capacity of our boys and girls who live in and around the Zones of Special Operations. If we’re able to improve the literacy outcomes, if we’re able to ensure that they remain in school and they come to school every day we will improve their life chances,” he contended.