Fifty-two disruptive and deviant students who were removed from the El Dorado East Secondary (EESS) and Chaguanas North Secondary (CNSS) schools have been rehabilitated and are now doing well in and outside of the classrooms.
Confirmation came from Education Minister Anthony Garcia yesterday after he delivered the feature address at the St Augustine Secondary School, where 200 Forms Five and Six students had graduated.
In delivering his address, Garcia told the graduates the 52 students who sought rehabilitation as a result of behavioural issues was now a “success story.” In February, 24 CNSS students were removed from the school for disruptive behaviour.
The following month, 28 students of EESS were also removed due to indiscipline. The students from both schools were sent to the old Couva West Secondary School where a programme was conducted by the Student Support Services Division to rehabilitate them.
The programme, Garcia said, ended three weeks ago. In giving and update on the students’ progress, Garcia said:
“Some of them have returned to the school, some have been transfered to other institutions, some of them have gone to either MYPART and MILAT, and one or two of them, being in Form Five, wrote their CSEC examinations and are awaiting results.
“From all indications that we have received that intervention worked exceedingly well.”
Both the Military-Led Academy Training (MILAT) and the Military-Led Youth Programme of Apprenticeship and Re-orientation Training (MYPART) offer training, certification and positive character development in the lives of at risk youths.
Of the 52 students, Garcia said four students of CNSS have returned to school while ten EESS were accepted back into their classrooms.
Garcia said since the students were removed, incidents of school violence and indiscipline have declined tremendously based on reports from school guidance officers, supervisors and psychologists.
“They have all indicated to me that they (students) are well on their way to rehabilitation,” he added.
In the last few weeks, Garcia said he had been getting fewer reports of indiscipline and school violence from principals. He added: “In fact, I have not been receiving many requests for extended suspensions.
“Not only that, the students have gotten the message that once they are not prepared to conform to the rules of the school and they exhibit undesirable behaviour we will take them out, we will send them for rehabilitation and we will bring them back.
“It is not a nice thing to be removed from your school. Apart from the shame, it is a stress on parents,” Garcia said.