Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar SC has defended stricter discipline measures in schools, saying parents and teachers have long been forced to deal with disruptive and abusive behaviour from a minority of students.
In a social media post on Monday evening, Mrs Persad-Bissessar questioned criticism of what she described as “common-sense action” to protect students and teachers, arguing that many of the problems being addressed have been known for years but were allowed to persist.
The Prime Minister said hard-working, law-abiding parents are tired of bullies harassing and abusing their children, and stressed that responsibility for raising children lies with parents, not teachers or the State.
Her comments came a day after she urged teachers and principals to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to disrespectful and misbehaving students and parents, while encouraging students to focus on their education and future success.
Mrs Persad-Bissessar said the issue was straightforward and maintained that discipline is necessary to ensure schools remain safe and productive environments for learning.