Education Ministry: Gov’t expanding student services

The Ministry was refuting claims by Behaviour Change Consultant Franklyn Dolly in an interview with Newsday last week Sunday that there is a school counsellor who comes into the school every two weeks to conduct a 40-minute session with a child and then sends the child back to the classroom.

It also takes issue with Dolly’s claims that parents are given appointments two years later, stating that for high risk or critical cases, appointments are immediate and other referrals are treated on a priority basis. Additionally, home visits are conducted to facilitate further assessment.

The statement says the Ministry does not have a Guidance Clinic but provides guidance services throughout secondary and primary schools. Children are also referred to the Student Support Services Division (SSSD) by Children’s Authority, Child Guidance Clinic, the Courts, National Family Services and Community Liaison Officers, Police Youth Clubs, NGOs and CBOs. In terms of students with special needs, the Ministry of Education provides special education clinics in the Education Districts.

Responding to Dolly’s suggestion for the creation of “some kind of holding bay”, the Ministry points out that there are already established Learning Enhancement Centres (LECs) in the Education Districts across the country, which continue to provide a safe and nurturing space for students who have committed infractions.

At-risk students and students on extended suspension are assessed and a programme developed to address their social and academic needs.

The Ministry reveals that some 319 students and their parents have benefitted from attending these centres and now have the social and life skills to make responsible choices and avoid inappropriate behaviours.

Additionally, the Ministry referred to the retention of 148 positions in the Student Support Services Division, as well as 100 Special Education Instructors towards the expansion of 299, and 225 Guidance Counsellors.

The Ministry will also be seeking to increase the number of Student Support Services in the various disciplines, including the Development and Assessment Intervention Unit (DAI Unit) who play an integral role in supporting the success of the programmes and initiatives by the Student Support Services Division.

The statement says the Ministry continues to utilise the services of clinical and behavioural psychologists, it employs both internally and externally.

“Through the School Based Management model, the Ministry of Education has improved its coordinated approach to early identification and intervention,” the Ministry’s statement adds. “The former Education Minister in his tenure said he “implemented a programme whereby every teacher in every classroom would identify the difficult students.

However, the need for the programme was identified, but never implemented.