Education Minister Defends Firm Action Against School Bullying

Minister of Education, Dr. Nyan Gadsby-Dolly, is confident that her Ministry has acted firmly against bullying in schools, with an increase in the number of expulsions from schools. The Education Minister was responding to a Private Motion brought before Parliament on Friday by Member for Princes Town, Barry Padarath. In response to MP Padarath's call to better address bullying, gang infiltration, and extortion in schools, Minister Gadsby-Dolly explained that there are policies and programmes already in place. Guided by data showing that most offenders display low academic performance, come from broken or dysfunctional home environments, or are disengaged inside and outside the classroom, she said the Government addresses these root causes through punitive and transformative initiatives. One such route is through amended curriculum and revision programmes. "When we looked at how they scored in the Lower Secondary Proficiency Examination, that they just took two years later, 52% of them increased in English Language Arts, 44% of them increased in Math, and 89% of them increased in English Language Arts, and that is what we are doing. That is what we are doing to give students who may have been disengaged before. We are giving them a chance to transform their behaviour." Minister Gadbsy-Dolly added that even when punitive measures like suspension and expulsion are employed, students are still offered psycho-social support. "But we have not just left these students up to their own devices. Even in cases where it is necessary to have to expel them, we have had an agreement with MiLat, and we’ve had agreement with Servol. So that even in those cases where we have to remove them from the mainstream, we give them an option of going somewhere that can assist them in their behavioural transformation." Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, Ayanna Webster-Roy, added the Government’s holistic approach in the schools must be enhanced by a whole-of-society approach. "The real issue is the violence. Our seemingly high tolerance for violence and how we change mindsets, and how we change attitudes and how we change behaviour. What is critical to bring about the change that we want in a peaceful society, schools that are free of bullying, communities, societies free of bullying is information/public education and sensitisation." Ministers Gadsby-Dolly and Webster-Roy agreed that "behaviour is transformed through engagement" and encouraged communities, parents, students, and teachers to access the resources available. One resource Minister Webster-Roy highlighted is youngcaribbeanminds.com, a directory of mental health and well-being services directed to our nation’s children.