Education Minister:

2026-03-28 - 02:34

DAREECE POLO Senior Reporter dareece.polo@guardian.co.tt The use of police in schools has come under scrutiny in Parliament, with the government defending the initiative as effective while the Opposition warns it is a flawed response to student violence. Education Minister Dr Michael Dowlath says the programme is already delivering results, with 82 per cent of principals rating it as effective after its first six months. “They reported improved deterrence, early intervention and stronger support. And so, the data showed the containment of the violence in schools and our principals confirmed it,” he boasted. Dr Dowlath told lawmakers he inherited “the worst scenario in education,” with 22,000 suspensions recorded between 2022 and 2025. He said the government has since tailored a multi-layered plan, including the deployment of School-Oriented Police Officers to high-risk schools, alongside counselling, psychosocial support and restorative practices. He said the schools were selected based on suspension data, patterns of violence and community vulnerability, with 70 schools targeted overall, of which 20 were identified by the TTPS for roving patrols. Dr Dowlath rubbished claims that the officers were untrained, indicating that 257 officers were trained across disciplines, including de-escalation, conflict resolution and child development, with 95 selected for deployment. The minister added that the programme was also supported by a sensitisation initiative involving more than 1,000 stakeholders. “They are not there to militarise the schools, but they are there to support safety.” The data presented to Parliament by Dr Dowlath yesterday showed mixed but improving trends. In the first term, he revealed suspensions fell marginally from 711 to 698, though classroom incidents saw a slight increase. He withheld the figure. By the second term, he said more significant declines were recorded. Dr Dowlath said total suspensions stood at 2,274, representing a 24 per cent reduction. In schools with assigned officers, suspensions fell from 1,711 to 1,555, a nine per cent decrease. Violent-related suspensions dropped from 560 to 455, an 18.8 per cent reduction. Incidents during key periods also declined. Dr Dowlath said after-school incidents fell from 232 to 173, while lunchtime incidents dropped from 676 to 575. In classrooms, incidents during supervised periods decreased from 396 to 370, while those occurring without a teacher present fell from 234 to 195. Dr Dowlath said the data shows the initiative is “bearing fruit.” He added that incidents were initially contained in the first term, with more sustained reductions achieved in the second. He also cited a recent case at Rio Claro East Secondary, where threats were reported and resolved within a week through coordinated intervention, with the matter now before the Director of Public Prosecutions. But Opposition MP and former education minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly is not convinced. Noting the initiative was launched last September, she has called on the government to clearly outline the policy, including the role and authority of officers, the criteria for selecting schools and measurable performance indicators. She also argued the initiative cannot replace critical support services, pointing to delays in contract renewals for guidance counsellors, school social workers and restorative practitioners. Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Gadsby-Dolly said, “Some student support officers have been out of work for more than ten months under this UNC government. So schools are therefore without these critical services, and those who are still lucky to have contracts have to double up on schools.” She also challenged the effectiveness of the policy, citing reports of rising suspensions and classroom disruptions, which rose from 401 to 544 in the first term, as was revealed by the minister earlier this month. The former minister also criticised what she deemed to be conflicting views between the ministers of Homeland Security and Education. She said Minister Roger Alexander wishes to put more police officers in schools, while Dr Dowlath eventually wants the figure reduced. Notwithstanding the ongoing arrangement, she added that students are still getting into legal difficulties. “Nineteen pupils have been arrested and charged within three months, Mr Speaker. The ministers themselves have admitted that the narrow initiative that the UNC hurriedly put in place just is not working. “It is clear that the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Homeland Security and those ministers are working at cross purposes—chaos and confusion, Mr Speaker.” While she described school violence as a “wicked” problem, she demanded greater clarity from the government. PM slams Opposition over school safety Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has launched a blistering attack on the Opposition, framing the debate over police in schools as a stark choice between child safety and criminal enabling. In a social media post yesterday, the Prime Minister categorised the People’s National Movement’s (PNM) resistance to school-based policing as a moral failure and a betrayal of the nation’s youth. The Prime Minister accused the PNM of wasting legislative time, claiming the move reached a “sickening level” of disregard for public safety. “My UNC Government stands firmly in defence of students and teachers who simply want to attend school to learn and teach in a safe and supportive environment,” she declared, contrasting her administration’s stance with what she termed the opposition’s “neglect and hatred” of the country’s children. Her rhetoric extended beyond education, linking the Opposition’s policy positions to a broader culture of systemic corruption. “The PNM has no ambition to see our citizens excel and thrive; they only advocate for menial make-work ghost programmes to buy votes at election time while the eat ah food fake elite, local drug mafia, and paedophile lodge members loot the country,” she wrote. She also linked the issue to broader socio-economic conditions, claiming Opposition-held constituencies face persistent challenges resulting in the “lowest business opportunities, worst education outcomes, poorest infrastructure and highest unemployment and crime rates.” The Prime Minister suggested that the Opposition’s discomfort with school security reveals a deeper affinity for “drug pushers and gangs,” whom she claims are “terrorising our children and our teachers on a daily basis.” She accused the PNM of remaining silent on the trauma of bullied and assaulted students while simultaneously defending violent students from expulsion. Closing her statement, Persad-Bissessar reaffirmed that the government will do all in its power to ensure students thrive. DATA PRESENTED BY MINISTER OF EDUCATION Term One (2025/2026) Total suspensions increased from 2,659 to 3,005. Classroom incidents in supervised settings rose from 401 to 544. Suspensions in schools where police officers were deployed decreased from 80.4 % to 71.4%. Term Two (2025/2026) Total suspensions fell to 2,274, a 24% decrease. In schools with police deployment, suspensions dropped from 1,711 to 1,555 (9% decline). Violent-related suspensions fell from 560 to 455 (18.8% decline). After-school incidents dropped from 232 to 173. Lunchtime incidents fell from 676 to 575. Classroom incidents with supervision decreased from 396 to 370. Classroom incidents without supervision fell from 234 to 195.