Action Plan for School Discipline

1. “The diagnosis of the current situation in the formal education sector with emphasis on how education processes are being used to foment and promote a democratic culture in basic education.” Action Plan for School Discipline Senator Hazel Manning Minister of Education Trinidad and Tobago April 12, 2004

2. A School Discipline Initiative. • Background A Ministry of Education initiative Project Peace A School Intervention Strategies Project was launched in March 25, 2003 Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Education

3. A School Discipline Initiative. • Project formulation informed by: • Reports • Newspaper articles • Feedback from students • Teachers • Parents • Teachers union. Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Education

4. A School Discipline Initiative. It was decided that there needed to be better coordination of all contributing programmes deemed to be suitable for reducingviolence and indiscipline in schools. Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Education

5. Violence and Indiscipline • Incidents in which there is verbal or physical abuse, threats, attacks, or harassment by a pupil, parent, member of the public or any other person. • Any statement or action that causes fear for ones safety, the safety of another, the school or personal property Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Education

6. Manifestations: Disruptive behaviour Smoking Fighting Extortion Obscene language Drug use Gambling vandalism, Possession of weapons Explosive devices Violence and Indiscipline Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Education

7. SUMMARY OF CONTRIBUTING PROGRAMMES IN PROJECT PEACE • STUDENTS • Crisis reduction intervention strategies programme (14 schools) • Pre-Carnival programme • Out of school suspension • Peer mediation (24 schools) • Homework centres • Mock trials • School time-out programme (12 schools) • Driver responsibility education (Ministry of Works and Transport) • Student Councils Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Education

8. SUMMARY OF CONTRIBUTING PROGRAMMES IN PROJECT PEACE • TEACHERS, PARENTS AND COMMUNITY • Peace, Love and Understanding for Students (PLUS) • Reclaiming the Classroom (Dep’t of Gender Affairs, UWI) • Parent education • Together We Light the Way (Self-Esteem programme) • Ancillary staff training • Public Awareness programmes Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Education

9. OBJECTIVES OF PROJECT PEACE • To establish the practice of peer mediation • To acquaint students with the consequences of undesirable behaviour • To provide reflective and rehabilitative education for suspended students • To promote responsibility in young drivers • To give students a voice in the life of the school • To enhance the spiritual growth of students • To develop teachers personally and professionally • To enhance the social and emotional development of students • To develop a program based on meritocracy for students and teachers Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Education

10. OBJECTIVES OF PROJECT PEACE • To develop a code of conduct for teachers and students • To assist in the development of a system of substitute teachers • To educate parents about their responsibilities regarding their children • To develop the skills of ancillary staff of schools and other personnel like Community Police and bus and Maxi taxi drivers • To ensure that the public is aware of all programs and projects associated with Project Peace • To conduct research to determine the causes of violence and indiscipline in schools • To develop curriculum to stem violence and indiscipline in schools Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Education

11. RESULT: COORDINATION OF CONTRIBUTING PROGRAMMES WITH ADDITIONAL YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES The implementation of the School Discipline Initiative, a joint project of the Ministry of National Security and the Ministry of Education. Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Education

12. A School Discipline Initiative. • Structure JANUARY 2004 • A Strategic Committee was established to: • Oversee and advise on School Intervention Programs to curb violence and indiscipline in schools. • An Operations Team was established with a mandate to: • Formulate a Joint Action Plan for implementation Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Education

13. The Action Plan for School Disciplineis a joint partnership • It is a coordinated approach, and involves the pooling of key resources from: • The Ministry of Education, and • The Ministry of National Security • Police Services • Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force • Prisons Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Education

14. The Mission is to Improve the Climate and Discipline in our Schools by Creating a Culture of Peace through planned interventions. • This will provide our students with a comfortable and achievement-oriented environment so that the focus can be on teaching and learning • The partnership will intensify work in schools towards creating a Values Promoting school environment that is: • Peaceful • Disciplined and • Safe Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Education

15. A fundamental tenet is that there is Shared Responsibility in achieving this Mission • Improving the climate and discipline in our schools directly serves the interests of students, teachers, parents and the community. • Shared Responsibility requires the commitment and participation of all stakeholders Community Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Education

16. “The last freedom is to choose ones attitude in the face of any given circumstances.” From Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Education

17. The Action Plan seeks to provide measurability, accountability and awareness to the initiative • Goals are to: • Develop a current profile of the level of discipline in schools that will enable future comparisons • Increase awareness of the initiative within schools and in the wider community • Promote community involvement for social interactions and to take care of law enforcement issues • Contribute to the safety and security in schools including the use of technology • Increase quality of service provided by Security Firms Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Education

18. Coordinators will be used to facilitate the execution of the Action Plan • The Coordinators are specifically responsible for: • Monitoring and evaluating the progress of the plan, document best practices and successes and propose modification where necessary • Coordinating the implementation of strategies between the two principal agencies as identified in the plan • Providing reports to the Strategic Team • Managing the collaborative efforts to ensure compliance and that procedures are fair and reasonable to both side Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Education

19. Success requires the support of a multi-disciplinary team working towards clear objectives for promoting good citizenship. • Objectives include: • Fostering parent involvement in the education process • Facilitating education for parents on their rights and responsibilities • Increasing Community Policing • Promoting a comprehensive, school-wide anti-drug campaign • Developing and implementing techniques in Conflict Resolution and Problem Solving • Strengthening and enhancing the security systems in and around schools • Achieving quality service from Security Firms • Facilitating the nurturing of good citizenship Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Education

20. We are currently reviewing a number of specific programmes to begin this transformation • Parents/NPTA/PTAs. Establishing: • Mechanisms to provide regular information to parents • Partnership programmes with parents including Parent Education • Homework centers • Teachers/Security Teams. Training: • Deans: Laws pertaining to Violence, Drugs and Sexual Abuse • Principals and Security Team: ADR, Mediation and Conflict Resolution • Students/Student Councils. Expanding: • Junior Achievement in Secondary Schools • Youth Training Centre Mentoring Programme • Military led academic training programmes and Youth Programme of Apprentiship Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Education

21. An end result should be an increase in the quality of interactions within the school environment • Students who are: • Independent • Innovative • Inventive • Creative • Teachers who are: • Committed • Willing to engage • Caring • Respectful and Trustworthy We envision a Values Promoting school environment with - • Parents and other stakeholders who are: • Involved • Problem solvers • Communicators • Supportive • Encouraging • Participative • Spiritual Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Education

22. In creating a Values Promoting School, we are reminded that we should: • Create who we are • Involve parents • Promote fitness • Support clubs and service groups • Foster peer support • Discuss our plans • Stimulate community participation • Encourage reading • Promote spirituality • Model virtues Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Education

23. The Last Freedom “Facilitating students to choose attitudes and to display appropriate behaviours in the face of any given circumstances” Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Education

24. End of Presentation