Justice, education ministries sign MOU on restorative practices training

The Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Education and Youth have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the continued delivery of restorative practices training in schools across Jamaica.

The agreement, signed on Monday, February 5, at the head office of the Ministry of Justice in Kingston, will conclude in March 2026.

Minister of Education and Youth Fayval Williams said the aim of the training is to reduce conflicts in educational institutions.

“This programme remains necessary, given the spate of violent conflicts among students, which are often displayed all over social media,” Williams said.

Under the agreement, the justice ministry, through its Social Justice Division, will target 500 schools and lead the training of 12,500 participants, including school administrators, educators, students, parents and guardians.

The minister noted that since the first signing of the MOU in May 2022, training has been completed in 258 schools, impacting more than 7,900 students, 1,109 educators and 1,034 parents.

“The third cycle of this training will commence later this month, targeting another 150 schools at least, and every year we will do these cycles of training. At a minimum, the training lasts for two days,” she said.

Williams pointed out that the training will support and promote the development of trust in relationships among schools, students and parents.

“We find that it’s when trust does not exist, or it breaks down, that we have these conflict situations. It will support an atmosphere of open, honest and genuine dialogue among all stakeholders. It will facilitate development of key stakeholders in the education sector in providing community-building strategies and viable alternatives to detention and expulsion,” she detailed.

Williams said it is her hope that more stakeholders, including deans of discipline, guidance counsellors and school nurses, health and family life education educators and the wider community, will support the training.

Minister of Justice Delroy Chuck underscored that restorative justice is a “strong and powerful” conflict resolution tool.

“It is a tool that heals conflicts and disputes between parties, but it reconciles and restores relationships,” he said.

Chuck pointed out that in 80 per cent of the murders that occur in Jamaica, the victims are known to the offenders.

“If they could just surrender to go to one of our 22 justice centres or the over 400 restorative justice facilitators that we have, to just meet in a restorative justice circle and sort out their differences, admit to their wrongdoing and cause the victim to understand why did you, the wrongdoer, do this to me, then there can be so much more healing within our society,” Chuck said.

The minister said restorative justice facilitators can be greater utilised through brief sensitisation sessions with students, classroom by classroom.

He reasoned that students can then encourage their parents to attend the two-day training sessions.