Bradshaw: Make ‘national effort’ to root out school violence

Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw urged Barbadians to unite in tackling the growing tide of violence affecting schools, warning that the issue cannot be solved by government or educators alone, as crime continues to shape young lives.

At the Parkinson Memorial School speech day and prize-giving ceremony on Friday she said that violence must be removed from classrooms and communities.

“But I want to speak to the young people for a minute, the awardees this morning,” Bradshaw, also the area MP, said. “And I want to make it clear that violence has no place in our schools. It has no place in our communities, and it has no place in your future.”

Bradshaw noted that the difficulties facing Parkinson were being repeated across the system. “The principal spoke to the challenges that this school has faced and is perhaps replicated across many of our other institutions as well. We hear the cries of our teachers, we hear the challenges from students that we interface with, that they want a safe environment to be able to operate in.”

She praised the students who achieved success despite disruptive behaviour around them. “Many of you would not perhaps be in the position you are today, being acknowledged in this way, if you didn’t ignore some of the bad behaviour and the noises around you. And that is testimony to your being able to be determined that no matter what stands in your way, that you have a determination to succeed.”

She reminded the audience that the roots of violence were often deeper than the acts themselves. “Violence is often a symptom of pain, it is often a symptom of frustration, and a feeling of persons being unheard. And we have a lot of that happening in our society and within our communities.”

The St Michael South East MP points to the government’s effort to strengthen support systems in schools through the Education Transformation Programme. “We have strengthened the counsellors, we have strengthened the peer mentorship initiatives, the restorative justice practices, and programmes that teach emotional intelligence and conflict resolution. Can we do more? Of course we can. But can we do it alone? No, we can’t.”

She urged students and parents to play an active role in lifting up their peers. “We can’t do it alone. As much as the resources that any government puts into an institution, the principal and the staff of this school rely on the students like you who have gained and attained success to be able to help to lift up the ones who may not be in the extracurricular activities, who may not be performing at the level that you have been able to accomplish in your respective disciplines.”

Bradshaw appealed to parents to intervene when they see trouble in their communities. “Government cannot do it alone. And as for the parents, the parents here today who are following the success of your children, I ask you as well not to take things for granted. Don’t turn a blind eye to those other children who are in the communities that you see getting in trouble. Where there is conflict and you believe that you may be able to step in. I know some of you may say: ‘Some of them parents don’t want to hear nothing we say.’”

“But I say to you, as a representative of somebody who cares, I don’t care what anybody has to say, because this is my society. This is my community, and  I want to make sure that if I see a young man or young woman doing the wrong thing, I don’t care if they don’t draw a collins, I don’t care if they pull a gun. It is my responsibility to have the Barbados that I want.”

She said work was underway to track children suspended or expelled over the years. “I know that the Ministry of Education has been doing work to identify a number of the children who have been suspended, the number of children who have been expelled from schools over the years. Because when the statistics are put together, we see a pattern developing. Therefore, it means that when you are a teacher in an institution like this, and you identify children with challenges, you also have to help the principal and the Ministry of Education to allow them to take action.”

Bradshaw warned that society was now seeing the consequences of past inaction. “It is not sufficient for anyone to turn their blame out any more. We are seeing that we are reaping what we have sown. And I believe that it is the responsibility of all of us here not to turn our blame out to what we see happening in our society. Sometimes it is just those words of encouragement that our young people need. Sometimes it is alternatives that we require.”

The deputy prime minister said some children would inevitably struggle, but the effort to save them must continue. “Some will fall, but I assure you that even from where I sit, I try to save as many as I can. But in everything I do, I acknowledge that I will not save all. But it is important to save as many as possible.”

She reminded the audience that the fear of crime had already changed the ways young people move through society. “Because I know that many of you, certainly even within my community here, many of you want the opportunity to be able to go out at night. As you all are getting older, sometimes your parents don’t want you to go places because the first thing they hear, the crime is too high. The only way that we can allow ourselves to enjoy activities is to look around and to see who we can help. To look around and see what each of us can do to make sure that our young people are in safe environments and that they do not be led astray.” (SZB)