Education Ministry moves to solve crises at schools

In an attempt to try to isolate some of the factors responsible for fostering the kind of indiscipline and violence currently pervading the secondary school system, Education Minister Hazel Manning yesterday revealed that she had met with the National Security Ministry on Tuesday, and that certain factors deemed to be responsible for the trend had been identified. Manning told this to reporters following the launch of a Student Driver programme, at the Ambassador Hotel, yesterday. Stating that profiles had been compiled on schools considered to be both “successful” and “in crisis” at the meeting, Manning said things such as leadership styles, management structure and the physical environment were also examined. Other factors include both teacher and student absenteeism.

According to the minister, “We know the schools that are in crisis and schools that are on the brink of, and we know the schools that are successful.” Revealing that the ministry had already started “putting things in place” to deal with some of these problems, she said short-term measures were currently being implemented. These include leadership training with principals, heads of departments and deans; the new and expanded curriculum; discussions with the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA) to ensure that teachers are comfortable so that they are not encouraged to leave the service; and improving the physical infrastructure of a number of schools. A letter of intent has just been signed with NIPDEC to upgrade 100 secondary schools, she added. However, “In the meantime, we are talking to the police about short-term measures and that is making sure there is a security structure in schools to take care of these problems,” Mannning said.

The minister admitted that certain schools had been earmarked for additional security but declined to list which ones. “We have asked them to bring back community policing, the details of what they will do, we don’t know,” she stated. Stating that community policemen were “trained differently” and that some would be in uniform, as well as in plain clothes, the minister was adamant that army patrols would not be used. Regarding the few students from Tranquility Government Secondary who were responsible for attacking the St Mary’s College (CIC) students, and if rehabilitative measures would be implemented, she replied “that’s why we are doing what we are doing.” She claimed that they now had a better idea of the problems at Tranquility as a team was “in there talking to the teachers and principal,” and that “structures” were being put in place to deal with them.

Manning said this was the rationale behind which parents were being asked to visit the school, as it “is not only the teachers, not only the principal, but it is also the parents who need to work with the ministry to bring back the school.” Refusing to label Tranquility “a school in crisis,” Manning said the school’s closure had nothing to do with CIC, but added “I am saying we have a problem on hand and we are dealing with it.” The ministry is also moving forward to deshift secondary schools, so that persons attending these institutions are not cheated out of an adequate education, and the additional construction of secondary schools will facilitate this move, she stated. Questioned about whether the ministry would be introducing a list of substitute teachers for schools so that students will have continuous classes despite a teacher being absent, she said a contract had been signed “so that by the beginning of the next academic year, a system should be in place.” “We are not blaming people,” she concluded.