BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Education, Technological and Vocational Training Minister, Kay McConney, is calling on all stakeholders to adopt a “whole of country” approach to violence in schools.
Education, Technological and Vocational Training Minister, Kay McConney.In a recorded broadcast, McConney, said the ministry had been received funding from the Sandy Lane Trust, allowing for the deployment student counsellors to both secondary and primary schools.
In addition, the ministry is in the process of building a programme with the Ministry of People Empowerment, to allow access to an expanded pool of social workers and to develop a healing programme to support grieving students and teachers.
“We recognise that grief is a big thing in the school system. Some have seen their loved ones hurt and killed and it’s not easy then to pick up and come to school and have to deal with all the other things they have to deal with in life, and therefore, this healing programme is really meant to help us support our students and teachers through that grieving process<’ McConney said.
The Education Minister noting that “it takes a village to raise a child’, said the ministry recognises that partnership with the village is crucial, and more support is needed to provide children, teachers, and parents with the support they need.
“There is concern about violent acts which have happened in some of our schools recently. Members of the public are feeling worried for the safety of our children and worried about violent behaviour in the wider society that is making its way into the school environment,” she said.
McConney said children live what they learn and they bring to school some of what they learn even outside of school – the good and the bad.
She said that while school must first and foremost focus on delivering quality education that caters to all, the ministry cannot get away in these times from being increasingly vigilant, and placing greater emphasis on safety and security.
She said weapons do not belong in the hands of children, acknowledging that there are instances where children admitted that they were encouraged by an adult to carry a knife or a scissors to school for protection.
The Education Minister said that fighting must not be the first option for resolving conflict, simply because some of children have not yet learnt how to cope when they get angry and that over the last four to five years, the ministry has had to ‘ramp up’ the number of qualified persons in the Student Services Unit, which deals with psychological and social support to students, parents, teachers, and guardians.
“What we did is, we have recognised it is not just about dealing with violent behaviour at the beginning, but it is also about us giving the necessary support as our students seek to cope… The many layers that education touches means that we must continue to work collaboratively with each other in what I call an ‘all-as-one’ effort,” she said.
She said less than one per cent of the total school population, in a school system that has 37,000 students, are the ones giving trouble and that while this percentage may seem relatively small, it is still too much.
McConney said that school principals will be offered training during the Mental Health Literacy in November, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the Pan-American Health Organization.
“This training for principals comes after we trained, in 2023, … 25 primary school teachers as mental health advocates to be there to support children. And earlier this year, we trained approximately 60 support workers, social workers, counsellors, safety officers, school attendance officers, in mental health literacy.”
