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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
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A School Discipline Initiative.

• Background
• A Ministry of Education initiative
• Project Peace
• A School Intervention Strategies Project
• was launched in March 25, 2003

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A School Discipline Initiative.

• Project formulation informed by
• Reports
• Newspaper articles
• Feedback from students
• Teachers
• Parents
• Teachers union.

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A School Discipline Initiative.

• It was decided that there needed to be
• better coordination of all contributing
  programmes
• deemed to be suitable for reducing violence
  and indiscipline in schools.

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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

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Violence and Indiscipline

• Manifestations
• Disruptive behaviour
• Smoking
• Fighting
• Extortion
• Obscene language

• Drug use
• Gambling
• vandalism,
• Possession of weapons
• Explosive devices

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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

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SUMMARY OF CONTRIBUTING PROGRAMMES IN PROJECT
PEACE

• TEACHERS, PARENTS AND COMMUNITY
• Peace, Love and Understanding for Students (PLUS)
• Reclaiming the Classroom (Dept of Gender
  Affairs, UWI)
• Parent education
• Together We Light the Way (Self-Esteem programme)
• Ancillary staff training
• Public Awareness programmes

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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
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• The last freedom is to choose ones attitude in
  the face of any given circumstances.
• From Mans Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl

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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

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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

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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

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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

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An end result should be an increase in the
quality of interactions within the school
environment
We envision a Values Promoting school environment
with -

• Students who are
• Independent
• Innovative
• Inventive
• Creative
• Teachers who are
• Committed
• Willing to engage
• Caring
• Respectful and Trustworthy

• Parents and other stakeholders who are
• Involved
• Problem solvers
• Communicators
• Supportive
• Encouraging
• Participative
• Spiritual

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In creating a Values Promoting School, we are
reminded that we should

1. Create who we are
2. Involve parents
3. Promote fitness
4. Support clubs and service groups
5. Foster peer support
6. Discuss our plans
7. Stimulate community participation
8. Encourage reading
9. Promote spirituality
10. Model virtues

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The Last Freedom

• Facilitating students to choose attitudes and
  to display appropriate behaviours in the face of
  any given circumstances

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• End of Presentation