I congratulate the principal of the San Fernando Central Secondary School, Faria Ali, for making the wise decision to ban delinquent and misbehaving students from the school's graduation ceremony. This is exactly as it should be and I thoroughly condemn the parents of these children for pushing their way into the graduation ceremony, insisting their children have a right to be there. Well I have a message for these so-called parents.
While it may be true that your children have a right to a secondary school education, they most certainly do not have any right to blatantly disregard school rules and misbehave in school as they would at home or on the street. They were suspended for very valid reasons and the first thing you parents should be concentrating on is getting much needed help for your children and proper parenting lessons for yourselves. Your children broke school rules, end of story. If it had been my child who was suspended for his behaviour, or lack thereof, I as a parent would be ashamed to show my face at any graduation ceremony, but apparently, you parents have no shame and like the kind of behaviour your children exhibit, even condone it. Shameful.
I stress again, the principal had every reason to ban them from the graduation ceremony. And if the Minister of Education sees something wrong with what this principal did, then he is in dire need of help himself and is blatantly encouraging this disgusting behaviour going on in the nation's schools. Over to you, Mr Minister.
K Lewis
San Fernando