Dear Editor,
IN a letter of mine published in the newspapers of July 11, 2015, titled: “Please revamp and modernise the education system, Dr Roopnarine,” one of the nine suggestions I made was “Appoint trained counsellors in all schools for behavioural and vocational guidance.”

Staff should also get counselling when necessary. “Counselling referral forms should be filled and given to the counsellor who should make the necessary interventions, including parent-meeting. Counsellors should be proactive and check with teachers to become cognisant of issues that need addressing.

Have proper security, including able-bodied security guards, surveillance cameras and screening students as they enter the school compound. Additionally, do not permit cellphones in classrooms. Liaise with the police for quick responses when summoned. When I taught at RESA (Rockford Environmental Science Academy) in Illinois, USA, there was a police office in the school for students who the teachers could not handle and a room called the “Think Tank,” where such students were kept in and supervised till their parents arrived.

Have co-curricular activities (aka extra-curricular activities) such as clubs — chess, table-tennis, volley- ball, cricket, football, dominoes, debating, choir , art and craft, etc and make it mandatory for students to be a member of at least one club as part of the credits for graduation. Many of us learnt to play chess and other games in school clubs and some of us could not wait for the dismissal bell to run out and take our place on the volleyball court, while others kicked football, etc.

Invite religious and community leaders to deliver motivational speeches to the students regularly. Instill in them that other people are poor and suffering and that they should make optimum use of their opportunities. Invite also role models, rehabilitated drug addicts and ex-convicts, single-parents who succeeded to share their experiences in an effort to inspire students.

Have remedial classes for struggling students and use various methodologies for achievement. Differentiated Instruction, the Multiple Intelligence approach to learning, the taxonomy of cognitive learning (recall, application, evaluation etc) should be implemented by all teachers, some of whom need professional development. We cannot discount the fact that there are late developers, change of family circumstances, change of attitude and other factors that can cause students to improve.

There should be alternative/positive discipline. In Belize , students are issued with a Demerit Card on which demerits are crossed off whenever there is a specific infraction, for example, no homework or disruptive in class. Five demerits results in a detention, 15 in a suspension (which can be in-school), 25 which is the maximum can lead to expulsion after the school board meets. In between, there is counselling and parent conferences in an effort to modify undesirable practices/behaviours.

Implement a zero-tolerance policy for bullying and gang affiliation such as signs, tattoos and association.

Have regular Parents’ Days in which parents, some lacking parenting skills, meet and are involved in good parenting practices such as monitoring and guiding their children. From experience I know that parents of delinquent students hardly ever attend these sessions, but some do and it is worth the effort.

Yours sincerely,
Karan Chand