Teachers to blame for school violence

THE EDITOR: I am very concerned about the violence in schools. I am an advanced-level student of a Senior Comprehensive school. This year will make four years at the school. I started in Form Four.

As a project, a group of classmates and myself decided to tackle this problem of school violence and get down to the root of it. At my school, we have over 1500 students and, in our investigations, we spoke to some of the “trouble makers” of the school and some of the problems were highlighted. The students complained about having PE on their time-table, but the teachers are not letting them exercise. They are made to sit in class and do nothing because the teachers are not physically fit. They also want some sporting activities during lunch time so their spare time would be occupied and they would not resort to gambling.

Another problem they spoke about concerns their technical vocational craft courses. Being craft students they are supposed to have 14 periods (two days) of practical work per week, but the teachers do little or nothing. So instead of going to the workshops and sitting idly by, they break classes and that is where the gambling and smoking start. At times, the teachers and attendants do not open the workshops because they have nothing to teach. Can you imagine a class with two days per week of masonry, plumbing, electrical and welding? At the end of the two years that class could have built another school if they were being taught, but what have they got to show? Nothing. This has been going on for years and it will continue because no one seems to care. This shows that the Heads of Departments in the Technical Vocational area are not doing their jobs because these teachers are supposed to account for what is being done during their practical classes, so in all these teachers are only working three days per week.

We, the Upper six students recommend that the Minister of Education and TTUTA president concentrate on these problems and have the students occupied during school time. It would ease up on the violence in schools considerably. There should also be a few more Deans to assist the old ones, so that they can monitor the academic performance and the indiscipline in the schools. I hope that we are not too young to be heard.

IAN JAGROOP
Upper Form Six student