Education Minister Esther Le Gendre says Cabinet has approved a national code of conduct for all schools, to be implemented at the start of the new academic year in September. She made the announcement during yesterday's post-Cabinet news conference. She said the code was not expected to prosecute anyone, and was expected to be used in all schools.
"The code defines clearly what the students, parents, teachers and principals are responsible for. It sets out general interaction of visitors to the school. "It sets out principles of good conduct and standards of behaviour like punctuality, dress code and lists of other things." Although there were existing codes of conduct in place for teachers, principals, visitors and students, Le Gendre said this one would bring those existing policies together into one reference guide, and would not duplicate existing policies.
"There are new schools, new principals and teachers, and we found there was a need to refresh the policies, so we have a clear basis of understanding," she said. Though the code would contain specific guidelines, Le Gendre said the schools' rules took precedence when it came to discipline. "The rules of conduct vary from school to school. The policy sets the definitive framework of the Ministry of Education's expectations, but it depends on the particular school's policy."
T&TUTA responds
Responding to the introduction of the national code of conduct, Roustan Job, President of Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (T&TUTA), said overall it was a good attempt to have all the regulations contained in one single document, but there were still some reservations, including the dress code for teachers. "We have submitted a position, but there are certain parts that we are still discussing with the ministry. For instance, the dress code for teachers. We hope to sort that out soon."
