The call for monitors to be introduced into primary schools to look after students prior to and after school has been tabled for urgent discussion when the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) meets with the Ministry of Education and other stakeholders in the coming weeks.
Responding to the call by the National Primary Schools Principals’ Association (NAPSPA) for the immediate installation of such officers, TTUTA President Antonia De Freitas said it was something which needs to be addressed by the MOE as they are responsible for ensuring students are supervised before the school day starts and again, when it ends.
She said TTUTA has in the past, “Called for the Ministry to employ persons or facilitate the supervision by persons other than teachers during the non-contact hours.”
De Freitas stressed that teachers are not to be blamed for failing to supervise students prior to and after the school bell rings in the morning and evening.
She said, “The duty of care of teachers and the administrators would begin at the start of school and what we are saying is that anything before or after that, once the children are on the compound, the ministry has to take responsibility.”
The call arose following an incident at the San Fernando Boys’ RC Primary School on November 4, during which a five-year-old boy received a five-inch cut on his head by his classmate also aged five, who was pretending to be a barber.
The “barber” had been using the blade from a pencil sharpener.
Meanwhile, the mother of the injured boy denied claims that her son had agreed to allow his classmate to “cut” his hair.
Instead, she insisted he was cut by the other student as the two walked past each other.
The other student has since been suspended. The two boys are First Year students.
Expressing horror over the incident, the distraught mother revealed she has since sought a transfer for her son from the school, to the one which her older son currently attends.
Claiming that the severity of the situation had not initially been communicated to her by school authorities, the woman said her son has been finding it difficult to sleep since the incident and was being counselled.
The cut was said to be five inches long.
Confirming she had dropped her son off at school at 8.10 am, the mother questioned why school officials waited until 8.45 am to contact her regarding the boy’s injury.
She said the school had issued a circular to parents previously indicating students were to not to bring to the school before 7.30 am, and had to be collected by 3.30 pm daily due to security issues.
The mother is now demanding greater supervision for all the children as she said First and Second Year students should not be left unsupervised.
She claimed not to hold any ill-will or malice towards her son’s classmate.
The ministry is continuing an internal investigation.