Our kids are hurting

MINISTER of Education, Hazel Manning, said all was not well with our children, as shown by recent cases of school violence and arson, and said both parents and teachers needed to do more. Her remarks came Thursday at a post-Cabinet media conference. She read a list of actions taken by her ministry to try to remedy school delinquency which she said would need time to take effect, but also made a plea to teachers and parents. Manning lamented eight recent reports of arson and/or bomb threats in schools, saying they were a serious threat and had incurred financial costs.

Moreso, they had disrupted pupils’ work for the CXC and CAPE exams, and had halted several after-school activities, which she said had provided opportunities for malicious activities. Saying that the Government and her ministry shared the public’s concerns at the incidents, she vowed. “All precautions are being put in place.” Claiming that incidents of violence and misconduct had decreased, she vowed to suspend and “persecute” badly-behaved students. In the question session, Manning left behind her prepared script to make a heart-felt plea. “I’m making an appeal for parents to come on board with us.” Asked why the school arson attacks had occurred, she said, “Our children are hurting for a number of reasons.

Relationships with teachers are not good in a number of instances. The curriculum is not good enough.” To get the curriculum to cater for children who are not comfortable with the traditional academic subjects, she said, in 2003 the ministry had introduced Physical Education and Visual and Performing Arts as  examinable subjects, and was planning to follow suit with Technology Education. Manning announced that the oversight of Valsayn and Corinth Teacher Training Colleges was soon to be transferred from the Ministry of Education to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education, with the two institutes to become campuses of the University of Trinidad and Tobago.