RADHICA DE SILVA
Concerned Parents Movement president Clarence Mendoza is calling for changes to how schools respond to student violence, including mandatory drug testing and psychosocial evaluations for suspended students.
His call follows the violent incident involving a student of Holy Faith Convent which led to the arrest of five secondary school students.
“These students should be drug tested. We are seeing too many schools plagued by drugs and violence. Some of it is being driven by gangs operating inside the school system. What we are seeing now is the result of years of ignoring these warning signs,” he said.
Mendoza pointed to systemic gaps in the education system and family support structures.
“Some parents are being threatened by their own children. We know of cases where children are abusing their parents at home. This isn’t just a school issue. It’s a social issue, and we need more social work being done in the homes of these students,” he said.
Mendoza added that students suspended for violence should not be left idle at home but should be placed in structured in-house suspension programmes with follow-up from the police and social workers.
“We need proper intervention. Leaving these students at home unsupervised won’t solve the problem. They should be in monitored environments where support and counselling can take place,” he said.
He also called for a review of the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) system, which he said funnels unprepared students into secondary school without adequate assessment of their capabilities.
“Some of these children are leaving primary school and cannot read. Teachers are struggling with them in Form One and Form Two. That’s where some of the behavioural problems begin. The current system doesn’t catch this early enough,” he said.
Mendoza advocated for the return of a continuous assessment model to help place students more appropriately.
“If you can’t cope with the curriculum, it needs to be caught before you get to secondary school. Continuous assessment would help identify learning or social challenges early.”
He also called for greater collaboration with the University of the West Indies to develop mentorship programmes for at-risk students.
“We’ve looked at a big brother system. If university students can be trained and sent into the schools and communities to work with these students, it can make a difference. Our children need all the help they can get,” he said.
Commenting on the incident, Education Minister Dr Michael Dowlath confirmed the students involved are on suspension pending a full investigation. He said a decision on expulsion will be made based on the findings of that investigation.
Dowlath said due process must be followed and expulsions are issued only after thorough inquiries by the School Supervision and Student Support Services Division.
He said, “The safety of our schools remains a paramount concern. The decision to expel students involved in serious acts of violence, such as school fights that result in harm or pose a threat to others, reflects our commitment to maintaining a safe and secure learning environment.”
The minister explained that expelled students will be referred to government agencies for counselling and support. Students aged 12-16 may be recommended for the Servol programme, while males 16 and older may be referred to the MILAT programme.
T&T Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) president Martin Lum Kin did not want to make a statement about mandatory drug testing, as it is yet to be discussed by the union. However, he supported calls for background checks on delinquent students. He said there must be a focus on long-term, family-centred solutions alongside disciplinary action.
“We need programmes that target the parents and the families of students and we need to start from the early childhood level,” he said.
Noting preventative approaches must become a priority, he said, “We should have programmes to help the parents and the families of poor students. These issues don’t begin in secondary school. By then, they’ve already taken root.”
Commenting on calls for alternative placements for expelled students, Lum Kin acknowledged some gaps in coverage.
“With MILAT, students must be at least 16 years old, so for younger students, Servol can work as well, but I don’t have the statistics to say if these programmes are effective or not.” he said.
