National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Coordinator Coral Benn said it is unacceptable for teachers to use mobile phones during classroom sessions because it openly sets a bad example for students.
Teachers need to embrace their profession with passion and make a concerted effort to transform slow learners, Benn said, while adding that educators also need to be punctual for sessions.
Benn shared her concerns during a recent address to parents at the Leguan Secondary School and she spoke out against the habitual conversing or texting by some teachers in the classroom during school hours.
A press statement from the Ministry of Education said Benn also called on teachers to cease engaging in group conversation at the expense of their students and she pointed out that this is a major cause of the breakdown in effective supervision at schools.
Benn also used the forum to encourage parents to take a “hands on” approach to their children’s education and she also called on them to set the right example and be positive role models for their children. She opined that parents should make spot checks on their children both before they go to school and at their schools, to ensure that they are showing interest, in addition to living up to their expectations. She stressed that parents have to take control of their children and make every effort to get them to perform well at school and be meaningful contributors to society. She pointed out that a certain level of discipline has to be instilled in children while they are still in school and she called on parents to guard their children from becoming “victims of the current culture of fine bottom pants, multi-coloured boots and tattoos.” She said too that head teachers and teachers must take a tough stand against students on these matters.
Further, Benn spoke of the need for fathers to be involved in their children’s education and community members to look out for children.
Education Minister Shaik Baksh also spoke at the event and he called on teachers to show more dedication and commitment to the profession. He also made the point that the students who perform better are closely monitored by their parents.
Baksh said also that the ministry will be conducting random checks on students at various schools, in keeping with its objective of making learning environments safe and conducive to learning. In addition, he said that students who are a serious threat to their peers and teachers will be expelled from the school system, while noting that the ministry has a zero tolerance approach for violence, drugs, smoking and sex in school.
