Redman: Facility needed to help deviant students

Tue, 04/26/2016 - 12:00am

 

In light of the recent cases of violence in schools across this country, President of the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU), Mary Ann Redman, is urging the Ministry of Education and Attorney General’s Office to provide a proper facility to help deviant students.
 
Charging that the two Ministries are currently failing these students by not having the requisite systems in place to help them curb their bad behaviours, the Union boss contended that such a facility is needed to deal with the “ever growing number of these types of students”. She is adamant that the normal school setting cannot cater to their needs and their behaviour poses a threat to teachers and students alike.
 
She was speaking to The Barbados Advocate yesterday morning, as she defended the Union’s position on the recent violence in the schools and the calls for expulsion of the female student who was involved in a physical altercation, in the wake of criticism of their position by Attorney-at-law and social activist David Comissiong. Comissiong, in a statement released earlier this week, said the Union was completely wrong in publicly demanding the expulsion, contending that should the Ellerslie Board of Management and Minister Ronald Jones decide that the pupil should be expelled, that decision will be open to a “very serious legal challenge on the ground that it was tainted and wrongfully influenced by threats emanating from the two powerful teachers’ trade unions”.
 
Redman, reflecting on the attorney’s statement, maintained that neither the Barbados Union of Teachers nor the  BSTU are asking for a process to be followed that is contrary to the law, in recommendation of the expulsion of the student. Moreover, she suggested that the attorney’s comments were not based on current legislation.
 

“We are using regulations that have been in place and amended since 1992… In the amended legislation there is no such word as headteacher, that has been replaced by principal decades ago and in that amended legislation, the Board has the power under Section 29 (1)(3) (b) to expel any student from a school,” she said.

 

She added, “We at the BSTU, we do our research and we do our investigations, so that when we take a position, it is one grounded in fact, in reason, in the law and in industrial relations best practice and in all other relevant considerations impacting on that particular matter. That is what makes us the respected, effective and growing trade union that we are today.”

 

Meanwhile, responding to comments made by Minister of Industry, Commerce and International Business, Donville Inniss, who raised concern about the approach of the unions have taken and questioned whether any attempt was made to contact the Barbados National Council of Parent Teacher Associations (BNCPTA), the BSTU president made it clear that her Union has been in contact with the BNCPTA through its President Shone Gibbs. Moreover, Redman said that Gibbs, along with the Association’s 1st Vice President attended the BSTU’s mass meeting at Solidarity House last Friday.

 

“It would serve Mr. Inniss well to advise the Chairman of the Board of Management to meet with the BSTU, and others involved in this matter urgently and before the ten-day suspension expires as is required by the law. Further, he should encourage his colleagues in Cabinet, more specifically the Minister of Education and the Attorney General to equip themselves with the facts of this case and speedily address a programme to deal with deviant children in this society who cannot benefit from remaining in a normal school setting,” she added. (JRT)

 
 

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