Jamaica’s Ministry of Education to roll out program targeting anti-social behavior in students

Jamaica’s Ministry of Education, in collaboration with behavior change professionals, is poised to launch a groundbreaking initiative aimed at tackling anti-social behavior among primary and secondary school students. 

Commencing in the upcoming school term, the program, aptly named “Behaviour Change Support Services for Students,” is geared towards fostering the holistic development of children by addressing behavioral challenges.

An idea birthed at the Deans of Discipline Conference

This visionary initiative emerged as a result of fruitful discussions held during the Deans of Discipline annual conference. 

Education Minister Fayval Williams, an advocate for holistic education, highlighted the importance of this collaborative effort during a recent post-Cabinet media briefing.

Unifying educational services

Williams emphasized that the Division of School Services is currently working diligently to streamline the various services offered within educational institutions to seamlessly integrate the new Behavior Change Support model. 

The overarching goal is to ensure that students’ fundamental needs, including physical and mental health, safety, security, and nutrition, are comprehensively addressed.

Speaking about the program’s objectives, Minister Williams stated, “We want to ensure that basic health, mental health, safety, security, behavioral and nutritional needs of students are met; we want to promote health and pro-social behaviors, as well as help students to develop life skills that enable them to make positive decisions and manage their developmental issues,” she said. 

Equal opportunity for all students

The collaborative approach to delivering these essential services is designed to ensure that every student has the best possible opportunities to participate actively in their schools' teaching and learning programs.