With incidents of school violence and indiscipline gaining national attention, National Parents Teachers Association (NPTA) president Walter Stewart believes it may be time to hold parents legally responsible for their children’s actions.
During an interview on CNC3’s Morning Brew Programme yesterday, Stewart said legislation holding parents responsible for their children’s deviant behaviour may be something the Government should look at with “some more urgency.”
“If parents realise that I am totally responsible for the behaviour and attitude of my child they would ensure that whatever it takes, in order to ensure that your child is running and is walking the straight and narrow because ultimately you are responsible,” Stewart said.
He said the community police system can also help as the children can be monitored in their school and home environment.
“If we could get the police service to probably re-introduce those mechanisms and systems, it will certainly help to mitigate and alleviate some of the indiscipline and school violence that is taking place right now,” he added.
The NPTA president also suggested mandatory professional counselling and psychiatric services at the primary schools.
“There is something sinister taking place in our homes, in our communities that needs to be addressed. If we have a psychologist and psychiatrist at the primary level and they are able to get into the homes of these students at that level, we are able to follow them through our secondary schools and be able to give proper assistance to the family,” Stewart suggested.
Meanwhile, Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association president Martin Lum Kin said the association has recommended that security be increased at the Palo Seco Government Secondary School. This follows a brutal fight on May 24 between members of the Sixx and Seven gangs that left at least 12 students injured, five of whom were stabbed and had to receive medical attention.
While giving an update on the situation yesterday, Lum Kin said he was advised that the students who initiated the fight were suspended, with the possibility of their suspension being extended.
He said TTUTA recommended that the CCTV system be upgraded to cover a wider area and that more than two security officers be assigned to the school to facilitate patrols and searches. In addition to counselling by the Student Support Services, social worker and guidance worker, he said the form teachers of the students involved in the incident also had sessions with the classes.
He noted that teachers were advised to access the Employee Assistance Programme, if necessary but TTUTA also recommended that an EAP team do a group session with teachers at the school.
Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly did not respond to requests by Guardian Media for an update on the situation at the school.