NPTA head laments atrocious acts taking place in schools

NATIONAL Parent-Teacher Association (NPTA) president Walter Stewart on October 12 said the past two weeks have been “bitter-sweet” for him as NPTA president and as a father.

He was delivering welcome remarks at an NPTA regional training workshop for members of the Tobago district at the Signal Hill Secondary School. The theme of the event was Leading With Purpose: Restore, Rebuild and Rebrand.

The roles and responsibilities of parents in education and strategies for the efficient and effective management of the executive and regional units were among the topics covered.

Alluding to the death of St Stephen’s College student Jayden Lalchan, 15, who died by suicide on October 3, Stewart said, “When a father and a mother buries their only child under circumstances which are not normal. And we are told by all reports that it was as a result of bullying, when that has to take place in Trindad and Tobago, it has to be a bitter week for all of us as citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.”

He also spoke about the gruesome deaths of Tara Ramsaroop and her 14-month-old daughter Jada in Barrackpore on October 10.

Ramsaroop’s estranged common-law husband Rishi Motilal has been charged with murdering his baby daughter and Ramsaroop.

Stewart asked, “How could you look at a 14-month-old and slice her throat?”

He urged members of the NPTA to take action against such atrocities.

“We cannot remain quiet in our homes, in our schools, in our societies and see these things take place and not do anything.”

Stewart also strongly condemned an incident in which toilet water, containing faecal residue, was thrown into a student’s school bag at the Mason Hall Secondary School, Tobago on October 3.

He questioned what would have caused someone to throw toilet water into the student’s bag.

“That is atrocious, that is preposterous to take place in our schools here in Tobago,” he said.

Stewart challenged NPTA’s Tobago region president Joseph Lindow and his membership to speak out against such acts in schools.

“When these things happen, we have to let Tobago know this cannot be in Tobago and this should not repeat itself in the Tobago space under any circumstances. So we cannot continue to fold our arms and pretending, it is not my child, it is not my niece, it is not my daughter, to let them have their own way. That is the big advantage.”

In his remarks, Stewart also updated members about the NPTA’s meetings recently with National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds, Minister in the Ministry Keith Scotland and Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher. The meetings addressed violence in communities, especially schools.

He said they have all agreed to collaborate with the NPTA to tackle crime and indiscipline in the society.

“We got the assurance from the ministers and commissioner and her team that they are going to now embrace and collaborate with the National Council of Parent-Teacher Association to ensure that when there are walkabouts and town hall meetings that the parents the greatest stakeholders in this thing. My daughter, your granddaughter could be another statistic. So that we have a stake in this thing we call crime and school indiscipline.”

Stewart said within the next two weeks, they will be accompanying community police officers on a series of walkabouts, starting with St Paul Street, in east Port of Spain.

“We will be putting on our boots and going out there letting Trindad and Tobago know that we are supporting the TTPS in all of its endeavours to ensure that crime is reduced, crime is mitigated and crime becomes a thing of the past in Trindad and Tobago.”

He said the NPTA should be the “loudest voice” in condemning crime and indiscipline in Trindad and Tobago.

Secretary of Education, Research and Technology Zorisha Hackett, who delivered opening remarks, said NPTA members must be cognisant of negative impact of bullying, gang affiliation and gun violence in schools and the wider society

“We need to come together as a unified force…because this unity is not only required to provide quality education but also to create a safe environment where students feel protected, supported and where they feel encouraged to rise above these negative influences,” she said.

Telling participants the event was not just about imparting skills and understanding their roles, Hackett said it was also a testament to the power of collaboration in overcoming many of the ills plaguing the education system.

“When our teachers are empowered to be in the classroom, when our parents are engaged, we can ensure that schools remain places of learning, places of growth and places of development.”