(Trinidad Express) Teaching Service Commission (TSC) member Prof Ramesh Deosaran says the number of matters involving teacher misconduct, including assault of pupils, is on the rise.
“Because the number of teachers coming before the (TSC) for disciplinary matters, breach of discipline, assaulting students, is on the rise. And it has been increasing,” he said.
“So it is not only a matter of teaching students, it has also become a matter of the character of the teachers themselves,” he added.
He was delivering remarks yesterday at the graduation of the El Socorro Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS) Hindu School. He said the SDMS was fortunate to have general secretary Sat Maharaj, who was also in attendance, and noted he was “passionate” about his schools.
He said the Common Entrance examination pupils he taught when he was a teacher at El Socorro went to the “best secondary schools because of the management…and the dedication of the teachers”.
“In those days the teachers in this school…you wouldn’t hear any talk about strike and shut down and staying home to protest,” he said.
Deosaran recalled they had problems with their water supply, and used a latrine and three standpipes.
“But the main purpose of being a teacher was to teach,” he commented.
He said that commitment made the teachers come to school early and both teachers and pupils would help to clean these schools. He noted that while they cannot return to these practices they were able to build the character of pupils.
Deosaran, who is also the Police Service Commission chairman, said that currently there was a “toxic environment” that children were being exposed to that included the “money madness” that taught them to seek money without effort and fame without integrity.
He stressed it was up to the parents to immunise the children from these influences through inculcating of values. He also called on parents to protect children from the “perversity and vulgarity” via electronic instruments such as Facebook and Twitter, and to partner with teachers in discipline.
“Don’t let them drift away,” he added.
He said there was a high “casualty rate” of pupils who were doing well in primary schools but were unable to deal with the challenges of secondary schools. He told the graduating pupils they would be pushed around and taunted and must avoid the idle, deviant groups.
Deosaran said he, the police and the Government are “very worried” about the people coming out of the nation’s high schools.
