Gadsby-Dolly Says Many Children Are Effectively Parenting Themselves Today

Former Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly says sending disruptive students home cannot be the only answer to school violence because some children effectively have no one at home supervising them.

Gadsby-Dolly made the statement while responding to questions about Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s position that seriously disruptive students should be sent home.

She said parents unquestionably have a responsibility for their children’s behaviour but argued that the State also has a responsibility when parenting fails.

“You’d be surprised how many children parent themselves,” Gadsby-Dolly said.

She argued that in those circumstances, sending a troubled student home may simply remove the child from school without addressing the underlying behavioural problem.

Gadsby-Dolly pointed to residential interventions, including MiLAT and youth camps, as examples of alternatives that could provide structured environments for children requiring behavioural transformation.

She said some children’s home environments may not provide the support required to change their behaviour.

Gadsby-Dolly warned that failing to intervene effectively could have much more serious consequences later, arguing that if the State does not find appropriate places to help troubled children, it could ultimately end up housing them in prison.