MP Ameen Calls on Government to Address Upsurge in School Violence
Member of Parliament for St. Augustine, Khadijah Ameen addressed a packed Hillview College auditorium at last evening’s UNC Virtual Report. The MP addressed the issue of an increase in school violence and its impact on society. MP Ameen mentioned that there is an outrageous upsurge in violence in our schools as well as an alarming increase in school drop outs which is prevalent on the East- West corridor with girls in particular being at high risk.
The St. Augustine MP said that the Government must be held accountable for these recent developments as they have a responsibility to ensure that schools are safe environments for students to learn and grow which includes implementing policies and practices that promote a culture of non-violence and respect. She blamed the Government for its negligence as there is shortage of guidance officers, social workers and underpaid teachers in our education system along with the failure to create a healthy learning environment.
MP Ameen chastised the Prime Minister for his continuous disrespect towards women such as when he referred to school girls fighting as “Hyenas in a jungle” and further degrading comments such as comparing women to golf courses that needed grooming. The MP also criticized Education Minister Dr. Nyan Gadsby-Dolly for misleading comments made on May 18th 2022 when she said that ‘School violence is on the decline’. The Minister then in November 2022 continued to boast about decline in school violence despite the daily viral videos of school fights & violence.
MP Ameen pointed out that as recently as March 10th 2023 there was a newspaper headlined “School Violence Outrage, Government, Stakeholders Condemn Continuing School Violence” which contradicted the information given by the Minister last year. She mentioned several other articles and sources of increased school violence since the Minister’s statements questioning the accuracy of said statements. The MP further cited a media article where The Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA), National Parent Teacher Association (NPTA) as well as Concerned Parents Movement of Trinidad and Tobago (CPMTT) voiced their concerns about the upsurge in school violence and the Minister of Education.
MP Ameen acknowledged the work done by the People’s Partnership Government in improving the education sector such as providing more than 95,000 laptops to students, increasing internet access to 75% of primary schools and 100% of secondary schools and having 70,000 secondary school pupils attend two-day career guidance workshops. The MP highlighted some of the success that was achieved based on the work of the PP Government such as the best academic achievements ever in our nation’s history in the SEA, CSEC and CAPE under the Kamla Persad-Bissessar led Government. She further explained that at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) level, there was a 94% pass rate at units I and II in 2014. She mentioned that in 2008, the Government gave out 48 scholarships and in 2014 that increased to 470 under the People’s Partnership Government. MP Ameen concluded by saying that the PNM failed Tunapuna and failed the youth of the country, but gave the assurance of hope for the nation when the UNC returns to power.