TTUTA:

THE NUMBER of young people having sex at an early age has increased, especially in schools, according to a recent survey conducted by the Student Support Services Division of the Ministry of Education.

In his reaction to the report, Clyde Permell, president of the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teacher’s Association (TTUTA) described the situation in schools as “extremely disturbing.” “Teachers over the years have always been warning about certain sexual activities in many schools but due to the survey taken it has really come to the forefront,” Permell said.

According to the TTUTA president, the influence of social norms and socioeconomic status have a lot to do with the current situation.

“The conditions that our children live in come into play here. Cramped quarters where they are forced to share beds. It is heard of very often that older relatives at home have no regard for children, displaying their pornographic material,” he commented.

Permell also blamed television.

“Television is not what it used to be. Almost every channel you click on nowadays screams sex,” he observed.

Permell is of the view that if a child is caught taking part in such activities, it is the teacher’s direct responsibility to report it to the authorities.

“The high rate of sexual activities is seen more in the secondary schools because of the children’s ages,” he said.

In some instances, he added, teachers may be involved in these activities.

“The union makes every effort to let a teacher know that if they are involved in any lewd conduct we have no grief for those teachers. They will be investigated and dealt with accordingly. A sacred trust is placed in a teacher by a student and for that to be broken is just not acceptable.”

Permell said he would like to see students get more exposure to health education.

“Health education should be made top priority in both primary and secondary schools,” he said.