[Trinidad Express] – Schools are sacred spaces for learning, not battlegrounds for fighting and bullying, says Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
The Prime Minister also noted criticisms about armed police officers in schools as she reminded that this move is in keeping with the law and in the best interest of the country.
“No matter what some commentators say, the law remains the law and TTPS officers are free to carry their firearms inside or outside of schools if it is deemed necessary. Police officers report to their TTPS seniors and not the school principals. Therefore acts of violence will be reported according to TTPS protocol and dealt with according to the law,” Persad-Bissessar told the Express via telephone yesterday.
“I am committed to providing a safe school environment for students who want to learn and teachers who want to teach. We have great teachers who are passionate and willing to give the best possible education to our nation’s children,” she added.
Noting that teachers have been victims of the violence, Persad-Bissessar said:
“Unfortunately, our teachers have become victims of assault and abuse by some students and parents. That will not continue. Any student or parent who abuses or assaults a member of the teaching staff will be removed from school by the TTPS. Too many students are bullied, robbed and beaten at schools. To some children it is a terror to attend school. We have children failing because they are too afraid to attend school as they are bullied every day. It’s a daily torture for them.”
Persad-Bissessar said that parents must understand that they have to raise their children responsibly and correct their conduct.
“Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) officers are there to protect the innocent and will do so with the full support of my Government,”she said.
Election promise fulfilled
The Prime Minister noted that during the election campaign, she pledged that her Government would confront the scourge of school violence head-on.
“For too long, we have witnessed the decay of our society—our beloved nation awash in blood, plagued by record murder rates, and our schools tainted by violence, drugs, and fear. That is why my Government acted decisively. We made it clear that anyone who engages in violence, threats, intimidation, drug dealing, extortion, or bullying will face the full force of the law,” she said.
“I promised that we would purge our schools of this destructive behaviour by every legal means available. The people of this country have had enough—enough of school brawls, enough of wickedness in our classrooms, enough of fear in our communities. Law and order is being restored,” she added.
Persad-Bissessar thanked Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro and assured that the work continues on restoring safety.
“I extend my gratitude to the Commissioner of Police for ensuring that the first day of this school term began with police presence in some schools, protecting teachers, students, and every member of that environment,” she said.
The Prime Minister concluded: “This is part of a holistic, integrated approach to tackling violence across the country. We know the damage caused by the decade of destruction under the former administration cannot be repaired overnight. But we are rebuilding. We are fixing. And we are transforming. Step by step, justice, discipline, and hope are returning to our nation.”
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