Democracy better than authoritarianism

Take the Arima Senior Comprehensive School, which has become the poster child for all that is wrong in the system. That institution’s sorry saga came to national attention in 2001, when teachers took protest action to have principal Cheryl Ann Wilkinson removed. Ms Wilkinson eventually prevailed, with nine teachers still awaiting judicial review of the counter-allegations brought against them. Nearly four years later, the school has once again came to public attention when students last week set a fire in the toilets. Apart from that, there have been various violent incidents, including a security guard being beaten by students. And, according to TTUTA president Clyde Permell, the school’s population has declined from 1,400 to 600, with only 140 attending classes every day.

And where is the school’s principal in the midst of all this? She is on vacation. Mrs Manning was quick to explain that principals are allowed to take vacation during the academic term, but this is hardly the issue. A conscientious and committed educator would have cut short her leave to deal with these developments, to lead her staff, and to take control. If, however, Ms Wilkinson is out of the country, it was incumbent on Mrs Manning to say so, given that teachers and principals must notify the ministry when travelling abroad.

However, the teachers of Arima Senior Comprehensive certainly must take part of the blame for the situation at the school. If, as Mr Permell says, the school’s population is down to 600, it is significant that the teachers cannot maintain discipline among such a relatively small student body. Clearly, Mrs Manning is right when she says that students do not have a good relationship with their teachers. At the same time, her promise to "persecute" errant students further undermines her credibility, in a way it would not if a qualified educator or manager in her position promised to "prosecute" such students.

Which brings us back to the issue of authority. In the wake of these latest incidents, there have been calls from various quarters to re-institute corporal punishment. But Mrs Manning, whose main advantage as Education Minister is that she listens to her technocrats, has correctly scotched that idea. Beating students will not solve anything, and may well exacerbate the problems. Children are in school to learn and, if they learn well, discipline follows.

But how, then, do teachers assert authority? We would suggest that the most crucial requirement is training. It has been shown that students can judge a teacher’s competence, or lack thereof, within three minutes of the teacher entering the class. Another important measure, already in the pipeline, is students’ councils. Democracy is rambunctious, but it is a better guarantee of peace than authoritarianism.

As for Mrs Manning, we can only suggest that she tone down the rhetoric, stop the full-page newspaper ads, and just get on with the job of concrete reforms.