Crawford demands debate on school mergers

Opposition Spokesman on Education and Early Childhood Damion Crawford is demanding a parliamentary debate on the Government’s plans to merge and close schools, warning that the changes must not come at the expense of children’s constitutional right to access primary education.

Crawford’s call comes amid a growing push by the Ministry of Education to consolidate schools across the island, including the merger of Giddy Hall Primary and Middle Quarters Primary in St Elizabeth, as well as the recent merger of Hydel High School and Cumberland High School in St Catherine.

Education Minister Senator Dana Morris Dixon disclosed earlier this week that the Government is considering closing and merging more schools as it seeks to maximise the use of resources and existing infrastructure.

While Crawford acknowledged the demographic pressures facing the education system, including Jamaica’s declining birth rate and urban migration, he said those realities must be weighed against the constitutional rights of children.

“But in doing so, we must also recognise that it is the right of all children constitutionally to have access to primary education,” Crawford said.

He stressed that proximity to a primary school is an important part of ensuring that right and urged the Minister to ensure that the changes do not “abridge the right of these children to access primary education.”

Crawford said he supports the Jamaica Teachers’ Association’s position that stakeholders should be consulted before schools are merged, but argued that the matter deserves wider parliamentary scrutiny.

“I believe that a plan should be presented for debate in Parliament so that each member can speak to the realities existing in their constituencies,” he said.

He also raised concerns about transportation for students who may have to travel farther to school following closures or mergers.

While transportation may be readily available in some communities, Crawford said this cannot necessarily be assumed in rural Jamaica.

He also warned about possible tensions when schools with different cultures and student populations are merged.

Referring to the Hydel-Cumberland merger, Crawford urged the Ministry to establish an integration plan to minimise tensions and prevent students from becoming divided into rival groups.

He said there is a “high probability” of tensions emerging when two different student populations are brought together, particularly when a merger occurs late in students’ school experience.

Crawford is therefore calling for additional support, including guidance counsellors and deans of discipline who could act as “merger officers” to help students navigate the transition and address potential conflicts.

He said the success of the Hydel-Cumberland merger should not be judged simply by whether the schools can accommodate the students, but also by their academic, sporting and extracurricular performance.

“Therefore, Hydel/Cumberland must be allowed to improve greatly within their academic output so that persons continue to attend that school which was underpopulated in a highly populated centre,” Crawford said.

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