Pubdate: Tue, 03 Feb 2004
Source: Trinidad Express (Trinidad)
Copyright: 2004 Trinidad Express
Contact:  http://www.trinidadexpress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1093
Author: Roxanne Stapleton
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

REPORT: DRUGS A MAJOR PROBLEM IN SCHOOLS

Research by Prof Ramesh Deosaran which was commissioned by the Ministry of 
Education provides clear evidence that illicit drugs are a major problem in 
secondary schools, particularly in the so-called prestige schools.

Four days after Education Minister Hazel Manning stated that violence in 
schools was linked to drugs, the ministry said yesterday that a 336-page 
report by Deosaran on "Violence and delinquency in the secondary school: 
Towards a culture of peace and civility "contains the results of a survey 
conducted on a sample of secondary schools throughout Trinidad, with the 
overall objective to study the apparent increase in violence and disruptive 
behaviour in secondary schools".

The result of this survey, the Ministry said, is giving direction to the 
continued implementation of Project Peace which is the Ministry's 
initiative to address incidents of violence and indiscipline in schools."

The Ministry of Education is embarking on an action plan to combat the 
illicit activities currently wreaking havoc in the nation's schools, "to 
help students avoid the pitfalls that lie in their paths at Carnival time", 
is conducting a series of special workshops to prepare secondary school 
students for Carnival.

One set of workshops in the Pre-Carnival Programme is called "Carnival 
Choices" and the other "Ready for Carnival".

These workshops take the students through an interactive process during 
which they are made to see for themselves the risk and danger of taking 
certain decisions and engaging in certain types of behaviour. The 
interactive workshops provide students an opportunity, through role playing 
to "Say No" to the temptation of illicit drugs and sex and to avoid 
fighting or resorting to violence in any dispute.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom