Violence in schools requires healing, not only control

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Recent discussions on violence in our schools rightly call for urgent and sustained action. However, if we are to move beyond managing symptoms, we must confront a deeper reality: much of the violence among our children is rooted not only in behaviour, but in history and psychology.

The late Jamaican psychiatrist Frederick Hickling argued that the legacy of slavery and colonialism produced what he termed “mental enslavement” – a complex inheritance of trauma, distorted authority relationships and identity struggles. In such a context, aggression and defiance are not simply disciplinary issues; they are often expressions of deeper social and psychological wounds. When these patterns surface in schools, they signal not merely a lapse in order, but a crisis in formation.

This is why responses limited to security measures, stricter rules or surveillance, though sometimes necessary, are insufficient. What is required is deliberate investment in shaping character, identity and belonging from an early age.

Jamaica is not without precedent. In 1910, Joseph William Graham introduced the Scout Movement as a structured approach to youth development. Scouting was never merely recreational. It provided discipline, mentorship and a framework for service, helping young people develop responsibility, respect and a sense of community. At its height, it was embedded in school life and guided by teachers who served as both educators and mentors.

Hickling’s own work in cultural therapy, particularly the Dream-a-World initiative, demonstrated that healing occurs when young people are given structured spaces to imagine, belong and create. Scouting operates within this same framework, channelling energy, building identity and fostering community.

Encouragingly, the reintroduction of Scouting within teacher training at Church Teachers’ College reflects an understanding that the formation of students begins with the formation of teachers. Children do not learn character from policy documents; they learn it from consistent example.

If we are serious about reducing violence in our schools, we must move beyond control to formation, and beyond reaction to prevention.

DUDLEY MCLEAN II