Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar SC is defending the government’s position on the removal of violent and disruptive students from schools, arguing that the safety of well-behaved students and teachers must come first.
In a statement on social media on Tuesday evening, the Prime Minister challenged critics of the measure to “volunteer to take them into your own homes” if they oppose the removal of violent and disrespectful students from schools.
She said thousands of students attend school daily in fear of being beaten, robbed, harassed or bullied by violent classmates, adding that this negatively affects their education and mental well-being.
“They cannot study properly because of the constant fear, despair and depression, causing their education to suffer and their futures to be stolen from them. This is not fair to well-behaved students and their hardworking parents, who make sacrifices every day so their children can have a good education and a better future.”
The Prime Minister also referenced the death of St Stephen’s College student Jayden Lalchan, following alleged bullying and abuse from another student.
She accused the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA), the National Parent Teacher Association (NPTA) and the Opposition PNM of failing to protect teachers and students, while maintaining that her Government will continue to prioritise school safety.
“These three groups complained about police being used to protect our teachers and children in schools and are now fighting to keep violent, out-of-control, abusive students inside our schools to continue terrorising and brutalising our teachers and students. They and other commentators will do nothing to help your children if they become the victims of violent bullies or, God forbid, fall into depression and become suicidal.”
Mrs Persad-Bissessar noted that “good, hardworking, law-abiding citizens and their diligent, disciplined children, who try to live productive lives, should not be made to suffer because of the uncaring actions of others.”