The more things change...

ANNA MARIA MORA

ON JULY 13 I got up and decided to see what was going on Morning Edition. There was the representative of the San Juan Business Association lamenting the state of crime in San Juan/Barataria and environs.

I taught at Barataria Senior Comprehensive (which is now Barataria South Secondary) for six years and then became guidance officer there for one year, after which I made the decision to resign because I was not in agreement with the practice of expelling or suspending students for whatever reason.

My opinion was that I could not work with these students on the street. I needed them in my office. Our main catchment area was Laventille, Morvant, Aranguez. We did have other students from further afield.

There were some who were held with knives and were immediately sent to the principal’s office. One or two were sent to me by enlightened teachers, who understood my raison d’etre. The main reason was that they had to have something to protect themselves on their way to and from school.

I attended a PTA meeting at a primary school in East Port of Spain and a parent said she had two sons attending the school and because she was so fearful for her sons’ safety, every morning she placed her sons in the car trunk and used the longer route to get out of the area in which she lived.

The discussion on Morning Edition sent me “back in time.” I went to my newspaper articles collection and made a decision. The following is just a sample.

March 6, 1994, Sunday Mirror: Charity begins at home. Why we should not write off younger generations. Accompanying this article were two paper clippings:

(a) Headline – Ashford Sinanan: Write off the present generation. Govt told invest in youth.

(b) Education system in bad shape, Senator Samaroo warns (Budget Debate ’83).

February 13, 2000: Another consultation on indiscipline and violence in schools!? Oh no!

Newsday, July 5, 2003 (letter): For our children’s sake, please, no police in schools.

May 23, 2010: Psychologist candidate says traumatised Trinidad needs relief.

January 14, 2014, Newsday (letter): Take serious look at our society. On pg 11: “If we don’t intervene now, crapaud will smoke our pipe. Indeed, some of us may not even be here to even see the crapaud smoking the pipe” – Minister of Labour and Member of Parliament for Pointe-a-Pierre, Errol McLeod, at sod-turning ceremony reacting to the murder situation in the country.

June 21, 2015 – my commentary, Newsday: Youth and the importance of conscience: “At the opening of the school year in September 2022, I was on the road at about 9 am. I found myself in Curepe driving along the Southern Main Road. Then suddenly three boys did wheelies out of a side street and I had to take evasive action. Then I looked at these children, who looked no older than 10-11. I wondered why these boys were not at school.

Then about a month ago I decided to take a walk to the Net Cafe which is about four blocks from where I live. This time I was much later. Maybe at about 1 pm. Suddenly one young man on a bicycle whizzed past me. I stood at the side of the road. I looked behind me and there were ten boys on bicycles. Some cycles were welded and had a small platform between the wheels which held a ‘boom box.’ Music on the street at this hour of the day when they should have been in school.”

I was reminded of the time when my 12-year-old niece came for summer vacation and did not want to return home to Florida. Three days after, her mom called me and said: “Maria, please get that child on a plane home.” She was very concerned.

I did visit sometime after and learned that when a student is absent for three days, the class teacher goes to the principal’s office and records the name on the computer as being absent for three days and one click sends her name to a mainframe in the Department of Education. Mom gets a call, both at work and at home and questions are asked. Mom is told that her daughter needs to be back at school, within three days. She knew that action would have been against her if that child was not back at school.

We are playing over and over in our heads that TT is a developed country. What does digital transformation really mean?

Anna Maria Mora is a counselling psychologist