There will be no change to the one-hour lunch break for primary school pupils.
This was the announcement yesterday by Education Minister, Anthony Garcia, who said, “It was generally agreed and accepted that at this stage, we cannot go along with that proposal.”
The decision was arrived at following a two-hour meeting with education stakeholders about the proposal to reduce the lunch hour by 30 minutes, as one way of reducing violence, indiscipline and injury among primary school pupils which was estimated to be between five and eight per cent.
The meeting, which took place at the Education Towers, Port-of-Spain, included representatives from the T&T Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA); the National Parent Teacher Association (NPTA); the National Primary School Principals Association (NAPSPA); the Association of Principals of Assisted Secondary Schools (APASS); and the Association of Principals of Public Secondary Schools (APPSS).
Following the meeting, Garcia reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to work with all stakeholders to improve the education system.
Insisting there has been a decline in the level of violence and indiscipline in schools, Garcia said, “We cannot stop there.
We need to eradicate this problem from its roots and for us to be successful, the engagement of all our stakeholders is necessary.”
He promised an enhanced level of school supervision from the levels of the principal, dean and teachers - which would include safety checks at the gate, ensuring students are not left unattended in class, reinforcing behavioural guidelines; and walk-throughs by safety officers in order to minimise the possibility of an adverse situation arising.
Stressing the importance of student involvement in co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, Garcia added that parental involvement was a very important aspect of their effort and as such, they were moving to ensure there was a PTA or parent support group in every school.
The minister said students who persist with deviant behaviour would be referred to the Learning Enhancement Centre (LEC) for rehabilitation.
Proclaiming the LEC to be one his administration’s crowning glories, Garcia said, “The evidence shows that students having spent some time at the LEC, when they have returned to school, there is a modification of their behaviour.”
Happy that discussions had been initiated among stakeholders regarding their proposal to reduce the lunch, Griffith said their real issue was not about an actual reduction but one to derive solutions which would address broader issues relating to violence and indiscipline.
In charting the way forward, Griffith invited all stakeholders to come together to ensure the safety and welfare of students.
Chief Education Officer Harrilal Seecharan said, “The number of incidents we have in the primary school is significantly less than in secondary schools.”
He said some incidents during which students were injured were not necessarily as a result of violence or indiscipline but involved some lifting benches to prove their strength.
TTUTA president Lynsley Doodhai attracted some hard looks and grumbles from around the table as he referred to the suggestion to reduce the lunch hour as “an outrageous one.”
Articulating their position on the issue which remained unchanged, Doodhai said, “It infringed on the terms and conditions of teachers and it was also academically unsound in terms of the idea.”
Describing the meeting to be a historical one which had seen representatives from the five major education stakeholder organisations coming together, NPTA president, Zena Ramatali ,said they too were had not been swayed from their stance which had seen them reject the proposal.
APASS vice president Lucia Reyes said, “We are very willing to work with primary schools because we understand their concerns.
While it may be slightly different for us, we understand because we get the primary school children so whatever benefits come out of today’s meeting, we are going to benefit as well so we are in support of the primary school principals in the concern for safety of all students.”
She said they are willing to participate in any discussions exploring ways to reduce violence and indiscipline among students as their first concern was to ensure and preserve the safety and security of all students.
