Anna-Lisa Paul
Senior Reporter
anna-lisa.paul@guardian.co.tt
Three days after a 17-year-old South East Port-of-Spain Secondary School (SEPoSS) student was brutally attacked in a bathroom by classmates and severely injured, Education Minister Dr Michael Dowlath and Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander yesterday visited the school in a bid to reassure its administration of their support.
The ministerial team arrived around 1.40 pm and spent just over an hour speaking with principal Winston Samuel and teachers about issues affecting the school.
Following the cordial discussions, Dowlath was treated to a tour of the facility while Alexander left.
Speaking afterwards, Dowlath said school operations would resume as normal on Monday, as classes had been suspended on Thursday and yesterday to facilitate private candidates writing the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exam. He said this was an advance arrangement and had nothing to do with the attack on the Form Four student.
The victim of the beating by three classmates lives at Hermitage Road, Gonzales, Belmont. Reports indicate the girl had gone to the female washroom around 12.40 pm on Tuesday when she was “jumped” by the attackers, who were known to her.
In the viral recording, the attackers were seen beating the girl, punching her about the body and throwing her to the floor, following which one of them kicked her viciously in the face as she lay curled on the floor.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar confirmed the victim suffered a fractured nose, broken tooth, blood clots in the eyes and other injuries. The student was still hospitalised in a serious condition yesterday.
Persad-Bissessar read the riot act, warning that students caught assaulting other students, teachers and principals will be expelled. She also warned parents of undisciplined students and parents against taking matters into their own hands, using threats or violence, saying they will have to face the full brunt of the law.
The PM emphasised that schools were secure environments for learning and development—and should not become spaces of fear, disruption, or violence.
Dowlath repeated this yesterday, as he said his ministry would be “taking a strict approach to school violence.”
Pressed about yesterday’s meeting, he said the ministers had gone there, “in a show of support for both the administration and teachers at the school as we move forward.”
He said the staff had been welcoming and expressed concerns about issues affecting the school.
Dowlath roundly condemned Wednesday’s incident, saying, “Acts of violence among students are entirely unacceptable. Schools must remain safe spaces for all. Any behaviour that threatens this environment will be treated with the utmost seriousness.”
During a tour of the facility, Dowlath got a first-hand look at the operational areas and heard of the challenges the staff and students faced daily. He encouraged teachers to provide direct feedback to both ministries to shape a sustainable way forward.
In a subsequent release, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said it had joined with the Ministry of Homeland Security to address student indiscipline in schools, which remained a matter of significant national concern.
The MOE said it is currently undertaking a comprehensive and urgent review of the National School Code of Conduct and the National School Discipline Matrix in direct response to the escalating levels of student indiscipline.
“The ministry recognises that the current frameworks must evolve to effectively address the realities of modern-day infractions, including serious breaches of conduct and violence in schools. As such, greater clarity, consistency, and consequences will be embedded into the revised disciplinary structure to ensure it is firm, fair, and fit for purpose,” it said.
“The goal is to establish a system of discipline that not only deters misconduct but also reinforces accountability and respect across all educational institutions.”
The ministry appealed to parents and guardians to support the efforts.