Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College’s Research Day to Focus on Crime and Violence

Educators from four schools in St James that are greatly impacted by crime and violence will lead discussions on the issue during Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College’s Research Day on Wednesday, February 28.

The theme for the panel discussion will be ‘The Impact of Crime on Education: The Western Jamaica Perspective’.

The slated participants are the Principals of Cornwall College – Michael Ellis, St. James High School – Joseph Williams, and Mount Salem Primary and Infant School – Dr. Ann Shaw and Acting Principal of Salt Spring Primary and Infant School, Trudie Ann Taylor, who are expected to provide insights during the discourse.

They will join keynote speaker, researcher and Chief Executive Officer of Bluedot Insights, Larren Peart; Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) Divisional Commander for St. James, Senior Superintendent of Police Vernon Ellis; Restorative Justice Officer for Hanover, Tashana Smith, and the Ministry of Education and Youth’s Director of Safety and Security in Schools, Richard Troupe.

College Research Officer and Event Coordinator, Kerry-Ann Kerr-Williams, told JIS News that the objective of Research Day “is primarily to provide an opportunity for the institution to look at critical issues related to crime and violence that are affecting education, and to use education as a mitigation strategy for crime in the western region”.

She noted that Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College, which is situated between the two potentially explosive communities of Granville and Tucker, which have reputations for fuelling violence, is not immune to matters generated by the social issues.

Mrs. Kerr-Williams said although the focus will be on getting educators from across the parish to share their experiences, “Research Day aims to create a safe space for all education stakeholders and other interests to share issues, formulate solutions and set the tone for the way forward”.

She shared that a survey conducted last year among eight institutions revealed the need for a more robust culture of research.

Mrs. Kerr-Williams said with this in mind, Research Day is intended “… to build a research culture, not only at Sam Sharpe but in and around the environs of the college”.

While crime is deemed an age-old issue, she maintained that “as educators, we can’t turn a blind eye [to it]”, adding that “we still regard educators as change agents with the capacity to make a difference in the society”.

“When we look at the statistics available, we see that there’s so much crime; there is violence in the schools and it is coming from the communities. There are staff members of schools who are also impacted by criminal activities in their communities and the wider society, and they, too, need the support and guidance,” Mrs. Kerr-Williams further said.

Meanwhile, Dr. Shaw is looking forward to the opportunity to share experiences with other stakeholder participants and hopes to benefit from solutions generated during the discussions.

“At Mount Salem Primary and Infant School, both the registration numbers and behaviour of the students, who are from the [neighbouring] communities, are impacted by the level of crime and violence in the community. We run programmes, and just as we start seeing a turn around, one incident happens and we are back to square one. However, that is no reason to stop. We have no option but to persist,” she says.

Research Day will bring together stakeholders with a vested interest in education to examine issues relating to crime and violence and the interventions being used by different institutions, with a view to identifying other practical solutions that can be implemented to save lives.

The event, which gets under way at 9:00 a.m., is open to the wider public with admission free of cost.

Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College’s Research Day 2024 will be staged in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Youth, Bluedot Insights, the Jamaica Constabulary Force, and the Restorative Justice Programme.