The Ministry of Education’s investigation of a fight outside the Holy Faith Convent in Couva last month is still ongoing says Education Minister Dr Michael Dowlath.
Despite five teenaged girls already being charged with assault by the TTPS, the Minister says its work with the girls is still underway.
And expulsion is still very much on the cards for the girls, however, various interventions are being explored first.
Reporter Cindy Raghubar-Teekersingh spoke with the Minster after his visit to a vacation camp in his constituency and tells us more.
00:00It's been a month and a half since a female teenage student was hospitalized after being beaten outside the Holy Faith Convent School in Coover.
00:09Five teenage girls from other schools in the community have since been charged with assault by the TTPS,
00:15and they are expected to appear in court later this month.
00:19However, the Minister of Education says the ministry's investigation continues, and its own disciplinary action is pending.
00:27Have they been officially expelled?
00:28Um, no.
00:30Is that the learning table for them?
00:32Well, we are looking at it at the ministry because, like I said, as I explained before,
00:37we are going through the process with them to ensure that they understand the results of the actions.
00:45He says punishment must be applied, but they have to be careful so as to not stain the characters of the young students
00:52while trying to also reform them.
00:55And if they have broken the rules at the school level and at the national level,
01:01that they have to, there are sanctions that must be in place.
01:07But also, too, if we have to do, as you call it, what we call it, instead of expulsion, we call it alternative placement,
01:15we are still continuing to give them opportunities so that they, too, can come back into the society and live a normal life.
01:23Speaking to reporters after visiting a vacation camp his constituency office sponsored in Embarcadé, San Fernando,
01:30Minister Daulat says finding a way to show the students their behavior was not right while finding a way to positively integrate them into society is key.
01:41What we are using is alternative placements.
01:43So, say, for example, students, by their behavior, don't fit into the traditional education system.
01:49We have all the others that are available, the Civil, the MyLAT, the MyPath, the NESC and things like that,
01:56so that we are not throwing our students into the win.
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