As a nation we cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that there is a crisis in schools throughout the country in terms of violence and indiscipline amongst students. However, the more troubling issue is that despite oversight and intervention, admittedly somewhat limited and certainly not as comprehensive as required, the situation has gone out of control. Unfortunately, we are so accustomed to placing plasters on sores instead of dealing with and curing the real sources of the problems that it is usually too late to have any easy or early abatement of matters so they are allowed to reach dangerous levels. The more frightening prospect is that if the incidence of inappropriate student behaviour escalates any further, we run the real risk of losing a considerable number of young people to a life of crime and continuing deviant conduct.
Lost generations
Youth in crisis has for a long time been the focus of attention for all who recognise that failure by our young people to accept the responsibility of being civic- minded, law-abiding and upright citizens places the entire nation at peril. But somehow the problem is worsening and if we do not take stock now and immediately address the scourge, we will lose generations of youngsters who would be past the point of no return. That the Inter-American Development Bank has found it fitting to fund US$2 million to the Citizens Security Programme (CSP) for the implementation of a school violence prevention programme is indicative that agencies including international bodies are genuinely concerned about the matter. It is not that local individuals and groups have not acted in the interest of fixing the problem but just as with the plague of increased criminal activity, much more has to be done, by a greater number of stakeholders, in a shorter time frame. And we do appreciate the outstanding work done by CSP coordinator Gregory Sloane-Seale and other people who lead positive youth-focused programmes and projects because without their efforts the situation would be much worse.
Way back then
The indication by the Minister of Education, Dr Tim Gopeesingh, that there is a rise in violence in public schools with approximately 11,000 cases of students being suspended over a six-year period is a matter which cannot be lightly dismissed. Whereas it is expected that there will be students whose conduct will be inappropriate for a school or perhaps any other environment, it is alarming that for the academic year 2009-2010 there were over 3,300 suspensions, representing more than 25 per cent of the total number for the surveyed period. This is not the first minister to express anguish about the matter, for in May 2007, the then Education Minister, Hazel Manning, presented in Parliament a response to the debate on school violence.
In her presentation, Mrs Manning indicated that violence and indiscipline in schools had been an ongoing issue and that in a national consultation held in 1988, it was determined that the incidents were not limited to any one type of school or to a particular geographical area. The nature and extent of the indiscipline in schools at that time included inattention and disruptive behaviour in class, thefts, fights, use of various weapons, drug abuse and violent attacks on teachers. The general impression, however, was that the majority of the school population displayed positive behaviour.
Almost 25 years after that consultation, the current Education Minister has forthrightly admitted that "although incidents of violence in schools was nothing new, it was nothing like what we are seeing now."
The onus is therefore on those in charge of formulating policy and implementing process to determine what must be done to prevent the situation from worsening. According to the minister, a task force has been appointed to "look at all the significant recommendations which have been made to the ministry in the hopes of addressing violence in schools located in high-risk areas."
TTUTA on board
The observation by Peter Wilson, the general secretary of the T&T Unified Teachers' Association (TTUTA), that consistency is needed in the implementation of measures and resources to reduce violence and delinquency in schools, is a comment that is right on target. TTUTA is an organisation which comprises many highly qualified individuals who are not only aware of the problems in our nation's schools but who have in the past made meaningful contributions and suggestions for the overall upgrade in the educational sector. In December 2008, Jenny-Lynne Cyrille, then the first vice-president of TTUTA, presented a paper dealing with the subject of violence and indiscipline in schools in T&T.
Ms Cyrille stated some of the proposed strategies of her organisation, which included the development of a code of conduct by all schools, filling of all vacancies, student and teacher support groups, police patrols, and the development of a culture of peace. These are extremely viable suggestions and no time should be wasted in reinventing the wheel. There must not be an ad hoc approach to solving the problem and, instead, an intense and comprehensive programme is required if significant strides are to be made in reducing delinquent student behaviour that borders on criminal activity.
Forging ahead
The late Dr Eric Williams, first Prime Minister of T&T, stated in his address at the Independence Youth Rally on the eve of our independence, that "we who are doing all this today as well as we can, will have to giveaway in the years to come to you young people who will come forward to take our place. Your responsibility therefore is a very heavy one. If you shirk it you betray the nation." This inspirational message, in the present day context, begs the question: Are we the adults really doing all that we can to assist the younger generations who will one day be our leaders and providers? If the answer is anything less than a resounding yes, then we have lots of work to do in order to save the future of our nation. We too have a responsibility and must not be found delinquent while on duty as our nation's caretakers.