Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh says walk-through (full-body) scanners will be used on a random basis at 36 high-risk schools to ensure student safety. He said students were still finding ways to bring weapons into schools undetected. The minister, several ministry officials, Couva North MP Ramona Ramdial and Chaguanas mayor Orlando Nagessar made an impromptu visit to the Waterloo Secondary School and met with the administrative and teaching staff for almost two hours.
The meeting came in response to the death of 14-year-old Renaldo Dixon, who was fatally stabbed on Monday at the school. Dixon, of Bagna Trace, Chase Village, Chaguanas, was at the Carapichaima school around 10.30 am when another male student confronted and stabbed him four times. Gopeesingh told reporters yesterday he was still waiting for a full report on the incident and the “antecedent relations” before the stabbing.
But on Tuesday he will hold an emergency meeting with principals, vice-principals and school supervisors at the Rudranath Capildeo Learning Resource Centre, McBean, Couva. The minister said the meeting would be held to discuss the way forward in dealing with “the whole issue of dysfunctional behaviour among students.” He said the mood at the school yesterday was “sombre” and his discussions with the teachers centred on gauging their views on managing “abnormal, deviant behaviour and abhorrent behaviour” of students.
Ramdial said she would provide financial assistance to Dixon’s family for funeral expenses. Dixon’s mother, Camille Taitt, called for the return of corporal punishment in schools to deal with delinquency. However, Gopeesingh said: “I do not think that will be entertained at all. The international convention on the rights of the child forbids that. We are a signatory to this convention. I do not think that is going to be contemplated at all.”
He said his ministry was engaged in discussions on a pilot project for the implementation of “fixed scanners, walk-through scanners” which the ministry would be moving from school to school in a randomised way to monitor students at high-risk schools. Gopeesingh said the Waterloo school is not one of the high-risk schools, which was why he was surprised by Monday’s violent attack. “Waterloo got three additional scholarships and it is one of the three government secondary schools that is performing so well,” he said.
“This came as a shock to the student population and the teaching population and the Ministry of Education.” He said the pilot project would be discussed with stakeholders, including the National Parent/Teacher Association and school officials. Gopeesingh said last year more than 2,200 student suspensions were issued and more than 700 went beyond the seven-day period. This problem, he said, has left him “unhappy and dissatisfied.”