Gadsby-Dolly on murder outside primary school: No one can predict crime

Minister of Education Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly says her ministry should not be asked to predict which crimes will happen near schools, as resources can be used and made available in response to such incidents.

Dr Gadsby-Dolly was responding to UNC Senator Wade Mark during a Senate sitting on Tuesday who asked if her ministry would be adopting more proactive measures in securing students and staff at schools.

Mark raised the question in relation to the murder of caretaker Ronnie Pierre outside the Munroe Road SDMS Hindu School, Cunupia, on Monday.

Two other men were wounded in the attack.

Gadsby-Dolly said while such incidents could not be predicted, there were systems available to support students and staff at schools who may be affected by such crimes.

She added that in situations where crimes happened on the school premises, security could be strengthened.

"On a regular basis, the school's social workers and guidance counsellors interact with our students and would ensure that they engage them in activities that will secure their mental health. But when a circumstance arises which no one can predict, then we would beef up the resources to ensure that any trauma experienced by the students is taken care of by those officials."

In a follow-up question, Mark also referred to an incident where
gunmen walked into
the Belmont Secondary School last Friday and threatened to shoot a safety officer.

He said in this incident the gunmen accessed the compound through
a wire fence that was pried open near the school's agricultural crops, and asked if building a concrete wall would be more practical
to prevent further incidents.

Gadsby-Dolly said additional security, including police, was assigned to the school, and a concrete wall might not be the solution to deterring criminals from targeting schools.

"Concrete walls are not a deterrent to persons who are determined to get into any building.

"Schools are not excluded from this, unfortunately, so that consideration, though it may seem on the face of it to be something that is pre-emptive, it may not actually play out (as planned).

"We have had instances where people go over the walls to get into schools."

On Monday president of the TT Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) Martin Lum Kin told reporters teachers at the Belmont Secondary School had been
working under unsatisfactory conditions for years and might have reasonable grounds to initiate refuse-to-work action.

Gadsby-Dolly said refusal-to-work applications to the Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA) could only be made once the teachers approached the ministry with their concerns and allowed "time for reasonable mitigation."

She said additional security at the school and a police presence as repairs to the fence were underway meant there was no barrier to
resuming classes at the school.