They must answer

THE EDITOR: The students who beat the teacher at a secondary school in Barataria because he attempted to take their scratch bombs away on the school compound must be dealt with seriously by the Ministry of Education and the police.

This kind of indiscipline must no longer be tolerated in our schools and those students must be charged and placed before the courts to answer for their actions.

I am particularly happy to hear Education Minister Anthony Garcia say he is prepared to take serious action even if it involves removing the students from the school system.

Students (and parents) must be thankful for the opportunity to be educated by the government. Clearly those students have no respect for authority and are not interested in being educated.

I am also glad to hear TTUTA president Lynsley Doodhai condemn the action of the students.

I commend Garcia for promptly taking the bull by the horns and I hope parents will support every effort by the ministry to deal with students who challenge the authority of school administrators and teachers and seek to disrupt the smooth running of schools.

I say to Garcia that he has the support of all parents who are serious about the education of their students. The sympathetic and soft-gloves approach adopted in the past is not working. It’s time for a more serious approach towards students who injure and harm teachers and fellow students.

AARON PRICE, Rio Claro