Increased surveillance won’t magically erase violence in schools.
In spite of this, the appointment of mental health professionals and safety officers remains high on the agenda of the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training.
Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw reassured the public on the Barbados Labour Party’s (BLP) election promise yesterday on the sidelines of an opening ceremony at Erdiston Teachers’ Training College.
“Children don’t just decide that they are going to behave badly. There are always root causes to the problems children are facing, and we need to deal with those root causes.
“It’s not about increased cameras, it’s not about increased security alone, it is about finding out what are the real problems that these children are facing and be able to deal with those issues head on,” Bradshaw said.
She then responded to a question about whether guidance counsellors were still necessary, by reiterating the BLP’s promise in the recent General Election to ensure that psychologists and guidance counsellors are integrated into the school system.
“We recognise like the rest of the public that we have some challenges in our schools in relation to bullying, violence and we need to ensure we increase the complement of the support system for our teachers and certainly for our children,” Bradshaw added.
Since taking up the position, Bradshaw said she has also been engaging with members of the private sector to see how best they can improve the physical environment at schools. (TG)
