Gadsby-Dolly: Ten students expelled from school in 2022-23

EDUCATION Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said ten students have been expelled from the school system so far for this academic year and three in the last academic year.

She made this disclosure to the media after commissioning the new Ramai Trace Hindu Primary School in Debe on Monday.

"An explusion is something that nobody likes to happen."

She said the media would have reported extensively on circumstances which led to students being expelled.

Gadsby-Dolly said these students are provided with opportunities to complete their education.

She said one of them is the Military Led Academic Training (Milat) programme, which falls under the Youth Development and National Service Ministry.

At a news conference at her ministry in Port of Spain on November 23, Gadsby-Dolly announced a mandatory policy to send students expelled from school for bad behaviour to Milat.

Responding to questions in the Senate on this issue on November 24, she said she has legal authority to instruct that these students be placed in Milat.

She reminded the media that sending students who have been expelled from school to Milat is nothing new.

"It is something that we just formalised."

Gadsby-Dolly said for years, there have been interactions between government ministries and agencies with NGOs like Servol to deal with students who fall out of the school system for different reasons.

She added that Milat was one of several options used "to accommodate those students who need that extra bit of support.'

Gadbsy-Dolly said compulsory school age ends at 16.

For children over 16 who are expelled from school, Gadsby-Dolly said it was the repsonsibility of their parents to ensure their education continues.

She also reminded the media that expelling students from school has always been a feature of the Education Act.