(Trinidad Express) The reintroduction of truancy officers and the implementation of CCTV cameras to monitor every school by mid-December are among the interventions aimed at eradicating school violence and indiscipline.
This was announced yesterday by Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh, who said, among 40 problem schools, about 14 were in dire need of an intervention.
Gopeesingh, National Security Minister Gary Griffith; Minister in the Ministry of Gender, Youth and Child Development Raziah Ahmed; Chief Education Officer Harrilal Seecharan, and permanent secretary Jennifer Daniel met yesterday with permanent secretary Carl Francis (National Security) and Sandra Jones (Gender) at the ministry’s headquarters at St Clair for two-and-a-half hours. They were joined by Gregory Sloane-Seale from the Citizens’ Security Programme and Cmdr Garvin Heerah of the National Operations Centre (NOC).
The intervention comes on the heels of the killing last Friday of 17-year-old Success Laventille Composite School pupil Salim Dalzell while pupils and teachers were exiting the compound.
The meeting was held to discuss the issues relating to indiscipline within and outside the school, reducing dysfunctionality and adopting a multi-pronged approach to address the situation.
Before elaborating on truancy intervention which will supplement social workers, Gopeesingh said, “About 40 (schools) are having difficulties. We know 14 schools that have more difficulty at various times. Most of the schools are functioning. We have to individualise the schools. Whether it is crime, canine handlers or weapons.”
Turning to truancy, Gopeesingh said, “We have to go to Cabinet to ask for truancy officers. It has been there in the past and they will go to the homes of parents and meet with parents. Every secondary school has a guidance officer or counsellor. We have 74 schools with guidance officers and another 60 guidance counsellors are coming on board. We need to continue to identify the pupils at risk.
“Each school will have at least two Health and Safety workers, one guidance counsellor and one social worker. We have 134 secondary schools. At least one truancy officer to two schools. We have 92 social workers and another 60 coming on board. We have to look at the cost factor. The work of the truancy supplements the work of the social workers.”
Both Gopeesingh and Griffith spoke about the introduction of CCTV cameras to monitor each school.
Gopeesingh said, “We will introduce the CCTV cameras and roll it by mid-December based on the tendering and the awarding of the contract. There will be central monitoring and the National Operations Centre will give us some assistance. At any particular time there is an event we will have an idea. Bearing in mind what happens internationally (terrorism, Boko Haram) and that is something we have to guard against.”
Gopeesingh also spoke about the patrols around schools before and after classes are dismissed.
He said, “We will be patrolling around the schools either by direct patrols from vehicles or from motor riders. We will be looking at pupils coming to school on mornings and leaving schools on evenings. They will be looking at interference and pupils bringing things to the school. The patrols will be expanded on these schools with which we are having some difficulty.”
Gopeesingh said there will be special emphasis on raising the perimeter of fences and the reform of the Education Act.
He also said that, “contrary to columnists and the media, there is no chaos in the education system”.
Asked about corporal punishment, Gopeesingh responded, “There is never going to be any reintroduction of corporal punishment. We have signed the International Convention on the Rights of the Child. There is not going to be any debate and we will not reintroduce it whatsoever.”
The proposed interventions:
1) Implementation of Cadet Force, Boys Scouts and Girl Guides
2) Address anti bullying, health and family life, teenage pregnancy and health and sex education (movies and films which have been successful )
3) Working with parents and communities in taking charge of children
4) Teaching values, morals and ethics within the primary system
5) Easing the transition from primary to secondary schools
6) ICT to communicate with pupils via social media and pupils’ laptops.
7) Establishment of crisis management team personnel in case there is any event.
8) Efficient Parenting/Education programmes (30 workshops including 3,000 to 4,000 programmes)
9) Creation of a massive database of parents
10) Implementation of a number of management practices
11) Every teacher will be asked to identify difficult pupils
12) Mandatory sports in the schools.
13) Every pupil must participate in a sporting event on a weekly basis
14) Fifty gymnasium selected for certain schools
15) Introduction of martial arts
