...Some say school intervention necessary

Some persons have charged that the school does not do justice to the name of Jamaica's first National Hero, Marcus Garvey, the man for whom the institution has been named.

Now, after 40 years in existence and continued negative perceptions, Marcus Garvey Technical High School (MGTHS) in St Ann's Bay will see a direct intervention by the Ministry of Education.

Considered the largest of the upgraded secondary schools in Jamaica, MGTHS operates on a shift system and has close to 2,500 students on roll, nearly 150 teachers, Leslie Riley as principal and a new 13-member board has been in place since January, headed by Nesta Claire Hunter.

School resource officers who have worked at the school for several years say incidents of violence have decreased since they have been in place.

Some persons are, however, not convinced that things are not as bad as they were, or not as bad as perceived. They hardly see a way back for the school.

A change of principal might help, one man argued. "But it needs more than that. I think the type of students who are sent to Marcus is the real problem.

"You can't expect the worst performing and behaving students to make a good school; it's impossible. There is hardly anything the teachers, the principal or the board can do, given the limited resources, so I support the ministry's intervention, but it cannot be for a limited period. It must be sustained. That is the only hope," he said.

A parent, who gave her name as Annette, suggested that for starters, a new principal should be installed adding that just setting rules to govern the school will not help.

"They need to see that the children abide by the rules and regulations. Don't just set the rules and then sit back while everything deteriorates," she argued.

Annette also said parents are partially responsible for the low standards at the institution.

"Some of the problems, too, are coming directly from the home. So parents too should try to see to it that children are well behaved," she argued.