Senior Reporter
After spending only one day at school, four boys will spend the next seven days away from class after being suspended following their involvement in a fight on Monday afternoon.
But while the boys will be away from school, police say they will not be left idle, as they will be required to attend a youth development programme during their suspension.
The boys, who are believed to be students of Northeastern College, Sangre Grande, were recorded fighting outside another school on Ojoe Road.
Footage of the incident was shared on social media, with many users expressing disappointment at the fact that school violence continued even on the first day of the new school term.
Guardian Media sent questions via email to Northeastern College yesterday to verify whether or not the children involved were in fact students of the school; however, no response was received up to press time.
Police stated the four boys were summoned to the school with their parents and were issued suspension notices by the school’s principal. As part of this notice, the boys were instructed to attend the Sangre Grande Suspension Centre for seven days.
“They would be under the supervision of Community Officer PC Felix Persad under the TTPS’ Community Policing Youth Development Programme where they would be exposed to restorative, rehabilitative and conflict resolution,” the TTPS spokesperson confirmed in her response.
The TTPS also said a report was made and that School-Oriented Police Officers are assigned to the school, without confirming which school it was.
DCP in charge of Administration, Junior Benjamin, said he was disturbed after seeing the incident, noting that officers of the Community-Oriented Policing Section will be investigating.
“First and foremost, when you see those things, it’s always disturbing. It’s not what you want to see on the first day back to school.”
Minister of Education Dr Michael Dowlath revealed that he received a report on the incident and that it involved students in Sangre Grande, but opted not to say which school. Dowlath added that disciplinary action was already underway, following a conference between the parents, students and the school’s principal.
“The Schools Supervisor III for the North Eastern Education District has been informed, and the Principal has recommended an extended suspension.
“That recommendation is subject to the required approval process. A formal case conference will be organised, and further action will be determined in accordance with ministry procedures. The response must reflect the evidence and each student’s involvement.”
Dowlath said he was disappointed that students were involved in violence at the beginning of the new school term, noting that his focus was now on protecting those affected while supporting the school to ensure the matter was addressed “firmly and fairly.”
He also urged parents to do their part in co-operating with school officials to ensure any concerns involving their children were dealt with, as he stressed that success relied on their response and partnership.
“Schools cannot do this alone.
“Firm discipline and support for children are not competing priorities. Both are necessary to protect students, support teachers and keep learning at the centre of school life.”
Referring to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s warning to unruly schoolchildren and their parents before the new academic year to behave themselves, Dowlath said he was supportive of her stance against school violence, noting that the Government’s stance towards such incidents was clear.
“A positive start to the school year and firm discipline go hand-in-hand.
“The ministry’s zero-tolerance position is clear: violence is unacceptable and must be addressed.”
Parents concerned
When Guardian Media visited Graham Street, Sangre Grande, where Northeastern College is located, a parent of a Form One student said he was concerned about the incident, noting that his son was hesitant to return to school yesterday after seeing the fight on social media.
“He was scared to come back to school this morning. I had to sit down and give him words of encouragement and guide him to stay away from these things. It’s really heartbreaking to see something like this happening, and on the first day of school of all days.
“What going and happen further on in the term if this is how they starting?”
The parent also urged the parents of the boys involved in the fracas to institute stricter discipline for their children, noting that such behaviour was unacceptable.
“If that happened to my son… my son is a little youth man, he’s not a big fella and when I saw that video yesterday it raised my pores.
“So the parents of these students need to enforce some rules and regulations, take away some privileges because that kind of behaviour can’t be tolerated at all.”
A resident in the area said that while he noticed a significant decline in the number of fights after school since the introduction of School-Oriented Police Officers, he was still disappointed in the behaviour of the students on Monday.
He called on police to maintain a more visible presence after school.
“Patrolling the streets in their uniform might instil some fear in some of them youths, but like they don’t have any fear.”
