P/Town students suspended

UPDATE:

Two students who were seen in a video on social media stamping on another student at the Princes Town West Secondary School have been suspended.
Speaking at a media conference yesterday at the Education Towers, Abercromby Street, Port of Spain, Education Minister Anthony Garcia said instructions had been given to the principal to apply for an extension to the suspension.

“I have also asked the principal and the school supervisors to ensure that those students are enrolled in the learning enhancement centres. In addition to that we are going to sit down to decide what we are going to do with respect to the consequences that those students must be faced with.
“We in the ministry are treating the incident very seriously. We have reiterated over and over that we will not tolerate indiscipline and violence in our schools. In fact we have been very pleased to state over the last year or so there has been a drastic reduction in the incidents of violence in our schools. “However, what happened at that school last Thursday has set us back perhaps two to three years.”

Garcia said although there are 125 secondary schools and 455 primary schools, if one school is behaving in a way where students are showing signs of indiscipline and violence, it is of great concern to the ministry.
He said the ministry held a meeting yesterday with the parents of the three students involved in the fracas, as well as the principal and supervisor, Minister of State Dr Lovell Francis, the Chief Education Officer, and other ministry staff.

Garcia also said primary school students writing the 2019 Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) examination will do so on April 4. He said the exams will consist of English language arts writing, mathematics, and English language arts.

With regard to the Princes Town incident, Francis said it is his hope, however the situation turns out, the young men will understand the severity of their actions.
“They must understand in a way that they may have been very fortunate and the situation might have been worse than it is already.
“It is my hope they begin to understand that education is not something that you treat as an afterthought, it is something that can fundamentally transform your lives, and they should be in school focusing on that.

“The central issue is not that the students were fighting in the school, it is the nature of the fight that is most concerning. What we all saw was a child on the ground almost knocked unconscious and students continuing to kick his head, continuing to attack him.”

He said in the coming weeks the ministry will be working towards discussions with students and staff.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Two students who were seen in a video on social media stamping on another student at the Princes Town West Secondary School have been suspended.

Speaking at a media conference yesterday at the Education Towers, Abercromby Street, Port of Spain, Education Minister Anthony Garcia said instructions had been given to the principal to apply for an extension to the suspension.

“I have also asked the principal and the school supervisors to ensure that those students are enrolled in the learning enhancement centres. In addition to that we are going to sit down to decide what we are going to do with respect to the consequences that those students must be faced with.

“We in the ministry are treating the incident very seriously. We have reiterated over and over that we will not tolerate indiscipline and violence in our schools. In fact we have been very pleased to state over the last year or so there has been a drastic reduction in the incidents of violence in our schools.

"However, what happened at that school last Thursday has set us back perhaps two to three years.”