The Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) is expressing alarm over the growing disregard students are showing towards authority figures. The association highlighted recent incidents involving students and police officers stationed at secondary schools, stressing that such displays of disrespect are unacceptable.
00:00Tutor President Martin Lumpkin says it's just two weeks into the new school term and two
00:07weeks since police officers were deployed to certain high-risk schools and serious incidents
00:13of student misconduct have already surfaced. At one central secondary school, students
00:20allegedly locked an officer in a room, while another confrontation unfolded between a female
00:26student and a special reserve police officer. Lumpkin says these troubling
00:32events highlight a deeper problem of growing disrespect for authority in the
00:37nation's schools. There are some elements out there, students as well as citizens, who do not
00:44respect the Trinidad and Tobago police service officers for whatever reason. And we also see
00:52that there are some students who do not respect authority within the school as
00:57well, because we would have had instances where you had students lashing out, whether
01:05it's verbally or physically. He also pointed to a recent incident in which a 13-year-old
01:13student was arrested and charged after being found with marijuana at a school in
01:18Khmutu. He says he supports the government's no-nonsense approach to addressing these issues.
01:25We agree with the government's position at this time, the Trinidad and Tobago police
01:31service's position at this time. But I want to also say the policy, zero tolerance policy has always been
01:40part of the Ministry of Education when it comes to illicit items in the school. And so the enforcement of it, we are in agreement with. But that cannot be the be all and end all. There must be the other interventions.
01:58Lampkin tells the morning edition. Rehabilitation measures are critical to get these pupils back
02:04on track. Meanwhile, the tutor president also responds to claims by senior counsel Anand Ramlogan that the association had dropped the ball in defending teachers who were sidelined by the ministry. He was referring to the matter in which the High Court awarded almost $800,000 in damages for breach of constitutional rights after
02:28former secondary school teacher. Nirmala Cessnarian was unfairly denied promotion to teacher three, despite holding the same qualifications as her peers.
02:38It's unfortunate that the learned and experienced Mr. Ramlogan would make such a statement because it is quite clear in not only public domain, not only amongst our members, but at the Ministry of Education, Teaching Service Commission and the
02:57personal department, the personal department, that we have been pursuing this matter and we have been utilizing because we were wronged the table. And I want to say quite recently, we were getting some traction.
03:12Lampkin emphasizes that tutor has been actively pursuing solutions, highlighting a tripartite meeting in late 2024, where a committee was set up to address the issue. However, the committee failed to meet and recent efforts, including scheduled meetings last week, were delayed by the Ministry of Education, forcing the union to intervene on multiple levels to keep progress alive.
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