NOTED scientist and educator Dr Dennis Minott has reiterated his call for the introduction of mandatory compassion and emotional learning (mCEL) in schools, saying that the stabbing death of a student at Catholic College of Mandeville last week represents the latest justification for his advocacy.

According to Dr Minott, the incident “underscores the urgent need to address extremely concerning student behaviour in Jamaican schools”.

On May 13 police reported that 20-year-old Akeilia White and a 17-year-old boy were among students in a classroom about midday when another teenager used a sharp object to inflict stab wounds to White and the boy. The injured students were taken to hospital where White was pronounced dead and the boy admitted.

Head of the Manchester police, Deputy Superintendent Carey Duncan said the suspect, who is also 17, was apprehended, taken to court, and remanded until June 4.

Duncan said detectives are theorising that a missing cellphone and money are possible motives for the incident. He said the police seized the murder weapon, a knife, which the suspect reportedly went for after an initial confrontation with White.

The other student who was injured was said to have tried to intervene in the dispute when he was stabbed.

The Catholic College stabbing followed a number of other incidents of violence in the island’s schools which Education Minister Fayval Williams described as madness.

Dr Minott — founder and CEO of A-QuEST, which has been preparing top Jamaican students for colleges abroad since 1987 and has scored many big successes — argued that mCEL offers a long-term strategy as opposed to punishment-based solutions which, he insisted, are insufficient as they fail to address the root causes of student behaviour.

“Just as teachers equip students with academic skills, mCEL equips them with critical social-emotional tools,” Dr Minott said in a letter the Jamaica Observer.

“Imagine classrooms where students actively learn empathy, conflict resolution, and emotional regulation. These teachable skills are fundamental to academic success, personal well-being, and building positive relationships,” he added.

Minott pointed to Finland, Bhutan, Estonia, and Singapore, saying that those countries have demonstrated the effectiveness of integrating social-emotional learning into their national curriculums.

He also referenced the School Mental Health Literacy Programme launched by Jamaica’s health and wellness ministry on October 22, saying that while it “is a positive step, mCEL offers a more comprehensive approach”.

The Health and Wellness Ministry had said that it was launching the School Mental Health Literacy Programme “against the background of the trauma being experienced by youth who have lost friends to violence or who are themselves the perpetrators of violence [and] who, at physical and mental health risks to themselves, are using substances including the party drug Molly, edibles, tobacco, and alcohol”.

Under the programme, more than 500 school professionals were to be trained over three months. They, in turn would train others who will impart the learning to more than 21,000 grade-nine students across 177 schools islandwide.

Minott also argued that while implementing mCEL requires an investment, the returns are immeasurable.

“Improved academic performance, safer schools, and a more compassionate society are all within reach. This is an investment in the future of Jamaica, one we cannot delay,” he said.

He acknowledged that concerns about qualified personnel and the role of religious figures are valid. However, he said that mCEL takes these concerns into account and proposes solutions.

“The programme would involve comprehensive teacher training in mCEL techniques. Additionally, collaboration with trained psychologists and social workers can provide deeper support for students with complex needs. Responsible religious guidance, delivered within a secular framework by qualified professionals, can also play a positive role,” Minott said, adding that the current situation “demands a paradigm shift” that empowers educators and “creates a future where kindness thrives in Jamaican schools”.