MINISTER of Education, Priya Manickchand, has begun to engage leaders in the religious community to address the issues of school dropouts and antisocial behaviours in the school environment.
Over the last week, Minister Manickchand has met with religious leaders in the Christian and Islamic communities and will soon be meeting with leaders from the Hindu community.

During the meetings, the Education Minister highlighted that the ministry has implemented several measures aimed at ensuring students return to school and receive an education in a safe and cohesive environment.
In addition to addressing the issue of school dropouts, the Ministry of Education has been dealing with reports of violent and anti-social behaviour exhibited by students, particularly those in secondary schools.

The religious leaders were told that their help will be two-fold. They will assist the ministry in carrying out “Operation Recovery” by engaging early school leavers and their parents within their respective communities.
This will help to determine the reasons behind the students leaving school and find solutions to ensure they are back in the classroom receiving the education they rightly deserve.

Secondly, their presence in schools will be used to curb antisocial behaviours by counselling and guiding students to make better decisions which will positively impact their lives.

This is part of the ministry’s expansion of its social work capacity to be able to respond to the needs of students across the country. The Ministry of Education is committed to ensuring each child has access to educational opportunities.