Minister saving our children from bullies

THE EDITOR: I totally agree with the action taken by the Minister of Education in dealing with those bullying students in our secondary schools. Using kid gloves to deal with the students who behave like full-fledged bandits in the school system will result in nothing but more of the same.

When we send our children to school we expect them to be safe. We do not expect the children of other parents to bully and rob them.

I also believe that even the parents of the bullies should support any move that can prevent their children from becoming hardened criminals in the future. I have heard radio talk show hosts pontificating that exposing the students to the penal system will worsen the behaviour. I have also read newspaper columnists criticising the present minister for his current stand for two reasons: because not much was done previously when students bullied each other in the absence of technology and also because, years ago, a teacher encouraged an unruly student to walk across a football field.

All I can say is that Anthony Garcia is Minister of Education now and cannot be held responsible for how previous ministers handled similar situations. I absolutely agree with the minister and his ministry that the bullies, such as we have been seeing on social media recently, should be made to feel the full brunt of the law. The perpetrators of those acts of wickedness must know that there are consequences to every action.

The rest of the school population must feel safe using our schools. The society must rest assured that the school system is not letting loose young criminals to terrorise the rest of us.

Garcia is doing the right thing, taking the bull by the horns. This present ministry, since assuming office, has been very proactive about putting systems and programmes in place in the schools to assist ill-disciplined students.

However, students exhibiting the type of behaviour we see on social media must not be allowed “to glory” in the exposure they get from those postings. They must know that the criminal behaviour they indulge in will not be rewarded.

If we continue to complain about the dangers of penal institutions like the Youth Training Centre, very soon we won’t have to send any of those students there because little criminals will be bred right there in our schools under the noses of all the pontificators.

Keep going, Minister Garcia. Save us from ourselves but most of all save our children

PAULINE ISIDORE

via e-mail

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"Minister saving our children from bullies"

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