A controversial comment from former Education Minister Dr. Nyan Gadsby-Dolly is drawing attention , and criticism. Speaking at a PNM event, she claimed that many students involved in school violence come from PNM households. But Clinical Therapist Hanif Benjamin is cautioning against politicizing the issue, urging a national approach to support all children. Rynessa Cutting reports.
00:00Recently, we heard the Prime Minister say that when our children misbehave in school, they're going to lock them up.
00:11Now, we are not closing our eyes to the fact that some of our children need to behave better.
00:17But I want to ask you, and I want you to ask yourself, because you see the videos.
00:22Some of us, we share the videos.
00:24I want to ask you, who do you see on those videos?
00:30Generally.
00:31Former Minister of Education Dr. Nian Gatsby-Dolle officially weighing in on Prime Minister Kamala Passat-Bissette's announcement
00:39that the UNC administration intends to take a zero-tolerance position on school violence.
00:46Speaking in her capacity as a member of the PNM Women's League last evening,
00:49Dr. Dolly referenced her experience as Minister of Education to highlight what she sees as the party's responsibility to support affected families.
01:00As the Minister of Education, I've seen many of the files cross my desk.
01:05And many of those children who are misbehaving have PNM mothers, PNM grandmothers, PNM fathers.
01:14And I'm saying to us that as a party, we have to enter the fight to help them.
01:21And as the Women's League, we have a role in helping our PNM mothers parent even better than they are.
01:29We have a role in understanding when we have single mothers that they need help.
01:36Unfortunate is how clinical therapist and traumatologist Hanif Benjamin describes the former education minister's comments.
01:43It is quite unfortunate that with so many challenges facing our school system for so many years,
01:50in discipline being a major factor, resources being equally critical to the success of the school,
01:58that we have people talking about who children might be, whether it is a PNM child, a UNC child or whoever child.
02:05We must consider that all children belong to Trinidad and Tobago.
02:09And as such, we need to ensure that we protect all children.
02:13He's calling for more attention to be placed on the root causes of school violence
02:18and more preventive and remedial programs in schools.
02:23We must understand the children's socioeconomic status.
02:27We must understand their mental health and mental well-being challenges.
02:31We must understand their learning and social disabilities, if any.
02:37So it means that we must do more assessment.
02:39And so if we are able to bring in our school system, a level of restorative circles, restorative justice,
02:47help them to understand mediation.
02:49And while we are doing that work on the mind, provide mindfulness,
02:53help them to find alternatives in terms of dispute resolution.
02:57And once we get those factors in place and those protective factors surround our children,
03:03then we shouldn't have the need to arrest.
03:05We shouldn't have the need to expel or suspend.
03:07But if we are to suspend people, the hope is that we're able to provide a place of total rehabilitation.
03:15Because whether we like it or not, these are the children.
03:19These are the children of Trinidad and Tobago.
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