Education stakeholders must communicate

The Joint Select Committee on Social Services and Public Administration has told representatives of the Ministry of Education, TT Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) and the National Parent Teacher Association (NPTA) to communicate and collaborate on issues of violence in the schools and cyber bullying in an effort to reduce them.

“I am of the opinion that the relationship and communication on violence and cyber bullying in the schools are poor among the three bodies here,” Deputy Speaker and JSC member Esmond Forde said on Wednesday. “There must be some collaboration. We are hearing about school violence every day.”

He spoke after listening to the answers to questions from the representatives of the three major education stakeholders who appeared before the JSC. NPTA president Raffiena Ali-Boodoosingh told the JSC the association was informed of incidents of violence by parents or via the media. As far as she was aware, she said, there was no school disciplinary committee at the level of the education district, and she recommended the establishment of such committees.

TTUTA president Lynsley Doodhai said communication with the ministry on violence in schools and cyber bullying was “not very good.”