PARENTS /TEACHERS LOUNGE

[00:00:01] Speaker A: The best insight, instant feedback, accountability. The all new Talk Radio Freedom 106.5. [00:00:08] Speaker B: And now it's time to turn our attention to the president of the National Parent Teachers Association. We're chatting with a lovely gentleman known as Walter Stewart. Good morning to you, sir. [00:00:19] Speaker A: Good morning, Davey. And good morning to your Freedom 106.5 listeners. Happy Wednesday. [00:00:26] Speaker B: Happy middle of the week. Yes indeed, it's someday, man. It's the middle. So good morning. It's always a pleasure to have you in studio with me this morning. And we're talking about the parents and teachers launch, the fact that. Let's talk a little bit about this, this extension and how is that benefiting students? Now, initially, when the school went on the Java vacation, they had seven weeks. We usually would have eight. All right, the prime minister came and an announcement went out via the Minister of National Education of Education, the moe, and he stated that an extra week. So school will now open on the 8th of September, right? Monday the 8th. How is that beneficial for students? [00:01:10] Speaker A: Right. [00:01:11] Speaker B: How was the association seeing this? [00:01:12] Speaker A: Well, again, good morning. And yes, we used to have, as you rightly said, eight weeks of the Java vocation period, of course was cut down to seven because it's important to know that there has to be 39 instructional weeks in an academic year so that we are going with 15, 12, 12 previously, but now with the extension we are going 14, 12, 13, still being able to cover about 39 instructional weeks of learning. It would benefit our students directly because they will now have much more time to be able to delve into their new school books heading into the new academic year, giving themselves some more time to be able to look at what the school work is and prepare themselves for starting of the school academic year 8th of September. [00:01:56] Speaker B: Was it an oversight when the initial itinerary was rolled out, the schedule for schooling, that school was supposed to be open the first week in September. [00:02:05] Speaker A: I don't think it was. I think they wanted to maintain because schools closed a bit late in July, close to the middle of July. So I think they wanted to maintain the thin and instructional weeks. But if you look at, if you agree with the original, where we were having 15, 12, 12, it allowed, and rightly so, the first term, September to December, 15 weeks, which is more than the normal regular second and third term because the second term you have lots of vacation, lots of holidays, for example, you also have the carnival season within the second term. So the first term would have given the students much more time to acclimatize themselves with the New teachers acclimatize themselves with their new classrooms, the new environment for the first formers and the first years, for example, so they had enough time during the first term of 15 weeks, so that now they have cut it down to 14. It is still the longest term in the academic year. [00:02:58] Speaker B: All right, let me just take this call. Somebody is burning to get in. Good morning. Hello. [00:03:05] Speaker C: Morning. [00:03:05] Speaker B: Good morning, sir. Say again? You're calling from Coruscal. [00:03:13] Speaker C: Yeah, exactly. The, the. [00:03:20] Speaker B: Oh, we switch. Okay, go ahead, go ahead, go ahead, ask a question. [00:03:24] Speaker C: Yeah, I just put some premium on my tire and it's very. It's very, very, very good. It's a cleanup and it performed very. [00:03:35] Speaker D: Well in my car. [00:03:40] Speaker C: It worked. Very good. [00:03:41] Speaker B: All right, thank you very much. [00:03:43] Speaker D: All right. [00:03:43] Speaker B: But we're no longer speaking about cars at this time. We're dealing with the Parent Teachers association president as we talk about the academic term that's coming up now. Thank you very much for sharing your premium experience. We do appreciate it. Now, when I look at the calendar, right. Based on what you're saying, school was supposed to hit us. Well, the 31st would have been the. The holiday. So we would have had school on the 2nd, which was Tuesday. [00:04:07] Speaker A: Right. [00:04:07] Speaker B: But the fact that they pushed it to the eighth. [00:04:10] Speaker A: Right. [00:04:10] Speaker B: They would have shortened. [00:04:11] Speaker A: Right. [00:04:13] Speaker B: But seeing that this adjustment was made, do you think that coming in December we can take back a week? [00:04:18] Speaker A: No. What happened? They have given you the extra week in the month of July. So we are now going from the 8th of September to the 12th of. [00:04:26] Speaker B: December to the 12th of December. [00:04:28] Speaker A: Correct. For the Christmas vacation. [00:04:30] Speaker B: So December is usually three weeks. So on the 12th, which is the Friday. [00:04:34] Speaker A: Right. [00:04:34] Speaker B: You have the week starting the 14th. [00:04:36] Speaker A: Right. [00:04:37] Speaker B: The 21st and the 28th. [00:04:39] Speaker A: Right. [00:04:39] Speaker B: Which will take us to the 4th of January. [00:04:42] Speaker A: So school open on the 5th of January. [00:04:44] Speaker B: So school will definitely. All right, so you get back the weeks there. [00:04:47] Speaker A: Exactly, exactly. [00:04:49] Speaker B: Okay. So it works out. [00:04:50] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:04:50] Speaker B: So had they not give us this extra week. [00:04:53] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:04:53] Speaker B: What would have happened? You'd have had more weeks. [00:04:55] Speaker A: You'd have had more weeks in the month. In the first term, you'd have had. [00:04:58] Speaker B: 15 weeks instead of the 14. [00:04:59] Speaker A: Exactly. [00:05:00] Speaker B: So it balanced off well. [00:05:01] Speaker A: Definitely. And of course, it's not disproportionate now because you now have 14, 12, 13, which is more or less in keeping with the regular instructional time again of 59 academic weeks. [00:05:14] Speaker B: What about. Has the Parent Teachers association been paying attention to school repairs and getting persons ready for. [00:05:20] Speaker A: Definitely, definitely. As a matter of fact, we met with the minister Last Friday. The delegation of my association met with the Minister last Friday, and we were warmed to hear that of the 278 schools to be repaired during Java, already 243 contracts have been approved and handed over to MTS. MTS is the driving force behind our school repairs. So 243 of the 278 schools have been approved and work is in progress. [00:05:48] Speaker B: 243 of the 278 that is needed for repairs, correct? Two hundred and forty three, yeah. [00:05:55] Speaker A: Which is a good sailing so far because this is the fifth week of the vacation. So we're hoping that by the end of August, early September, all of the schools should be up and running. As a matter of fact, the Minister reported that 20 schools are already fully completed. [00:06:09] Speaker B: So what will happen to the remaining 35? Because if it's 278. [00:06:12] Speaker A: Right. So I'm saying that during the weeks coming up and the approvals are granted, but at least 243have been approved already. [00:06:19] Speaker B: Already, and some have already been completed. [00:06:22] Speaker A: 20 of those schools have since been completed. Wow, that's incredible. And of course, I did mention very early that this is a real asset test for the minister if he's able to get this right, because we've always been having perennial issues during the Java with regards to school repairs. So I'm hoping that the minister and his team can get it right this time around so there'll be no issues come September 8th, and all of us can send our students, our children, out of school, you know, more or less in a prepared state of readiness for accepting our students. [00:06:52] Speaker B: Let's talk a little bit about graffiti. I have visited one or two of these schools and I looked up recently as my son went into secondary school. I had the privilege of visiting the school and being there with him. And when I looked at the school, the furniture is much to be desired. Have the Parent Teachers association have you all been able to get. Now, does the repairs consist of painting over these things or rather than just fixing ceilings, broken fans, guttering? What about the furniture? [00:07:24] Speaker A: Right. Certainly one of the issues that of course, we face all the time is of course, furniture as well. I have known of schools when they have started out in the September term. Students are without desks and chairs. Yes, more or less standing up for the periods that they are in classes. And we are hoping as well, because this is also a priority item as well. So furniture, adequate furniture, and in a good state of repairs at all our schools. And it's an item on the agenda as well that the minister is looking into. No, it's to address it. [00:07:52] Speaker B: No, I. I mean, it can be very costly when we look at the fact that the new budget has not been tabled as yet. I have a call coming through. Let's get your. Your opinion very quickly, please. Hello. Good morning. [00:08:04] Speaker E: A pleasant morning to you, David. [00:08:05] Speaker B: Good morning to you, sir. [00:08:07] Speaker A: Morning. Morning. Morning, Mr. Morales. Morning. [00:08:15] Speaker E: I part of the team. So I just say after that, good morning. I don't know. [00:08:19] Speaker B: All right. [00:08:19] Speaker E: I want to say we have to be here to this minister. The time they came into office there, we wouldn't have things as they would have liked it. But working on what we have moving forward from the next year, we need to have some more initiatives and Mr. Walter, I know I always call you an opportunity man. [00:08:33] Speaker A: I appreciate that. [00:08:33] Speaker E: Have a blessed and God bless you. [00:08:35] Speaker A: Take care, Mr. Morales. [00:08:38] Speaker E: Bye. [00:08:38] Speaker B: All right, thank you very much, Mr. Morales. Why can't. Okay, back to the issue of furniture. When I looked at it, right, I looked at the classrooms and I'm saying my son has to come into these. At this environment. All right. Outside of the external repairs. That is absolutely visible. All right. I'm looking at. Inside these various classrooms and I was showing him and he was walking through the whiteboard because gone are the days of blackboards. So we have whiteboards in the school. But when I look at the. The drawings and the writings, the disrespect that I'm seeing on the. On the walls, even, you know, how is the National Parent Teachers association engaging the minister to get this done, especially when we do have a budget. [00:09:18] Speaker A: I know. Actually, let me talk about the budget and then go into the gravity issue. As you are aware, the fiscal 24, 25, $130 million was allocated for school repairs. 150 million. The media review indicated that another 83 million was needed, was needed and was approved. So the ministry now has to their credit 130 and 83 million towards 278 schools under repairs. So if they are able to use these funds wisely and allocate the funds accordingly, it should be able to complete all the repairs that are necessary in the 278 schools. [00:09:56] Speaker B: Would it be prudent to do repairs or continue with repairs while the school term is in? [00:10:00] Speaker A: Of course. And this has been ongoing as well. There are schools that repairs are being done in the afternoon after schools are dismissed and also on the weekends. So God forbid you're unable to complete all the repairs in time for September 8th. We are hoping that you can utilize after schools and or the weekend periods for completion of the repairs ongoing. [00:10:20] Speaker B: Hello, Good morning. [00:10:22] Speaker C: Hello. [00:10:22] Speaker D: Good morning. [00:10:23] Speaker B: Good morning. [00:10:26] Speaker D: We have speaking about school repairs, but what about the cause of the damages? Lot of the damages that take place in schools like the whiteboard, the classroom, the windows, all these things are damaged by students in the Parent Teacher Association. Considering that parents need to take responsibility for their children's vandalism, the school property, but there's nothing really in place legally to make them pay for it. Is there anything coming on board with that? Because it's a lot of damages. The chairs, especially metal chairs, they take it and they bend it back and it's no longer usable in classrooms. And a lot of investment in guest chairs. So I wait the gentleman to respond. [00:11:10] Speaker B: All right, thank you. [00:11:12] Speaker A: Listen, a number of these schools that we have in Trinidad and Tobago are in excess of 50 years in existence and they are referred to as post design life. So that the repairs and maintenance needed at this time is definitely mandatory because these schools have been going on in existence for quite some time. So that they are. But with regards to the caller specific issue, it is of course the parents responsibility to train your child to take care of property. And of course we expect that all our parents Bannon would be addressing these issues with their students, these gravity that we see at schools and many a times devi they are when the schools are recently painted, their schools painted last week, students come into the school this week and begin to deface school property. And it has to be the parent's responsibility because the child won't do that at home. I don't imagine that at home you will see graffiti on your bathroom wall, for example. So the parents have to make sure and inculcate the right type of discipline in their students to take care of school property. [00:12:17] Speaker B: One of the things I know, and I will say this without fear of contradiction, is that we can't always blame the parents for the actions of children. There's an old saying and old knowledge. You make the child, but you don't make the mind. So as much as you do your best as a parent to train your children, there are those that will be influenced by others. Some of them, they are the influencers themselves. I did have a good friend of mine who had to be called into school for a student hiding another child's shoes. So he hid the shoes at the child bare feet and he hot pitch and they're laughing and stuff like that. And he thought that someone hid his son's shoe when he got into the school only to realize that his son is the one who orchestrated the whole. He was the perpetrator of hiding the shoes. Well, you know, and his son at the time was about 8 years old in primary school. And that happened, I think two terms ago. But the thing about it is he didn't think in his wildest imagination and I know in person, I know the family personally, that his son was the instigator. So I say that to say to the caller that as much as we want to hold the parents and arrest them and brace them for it, sometimes at home they are doing their very best. You know, my concern is with the Parent Teachers association in terms of maintenance of this ongoing debacle. When you catch students. [00:13:29] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:13:29] Speaker B: That are guilty of these crimes, be with them. That's not. [00:13:33] Speaker A: Definitely. [00:13:34] Speaker B: And then we, we have a maintenance crew on standby to also come and clean up this. Because at the end of the day we don't. I mean, as I, I can't imagine as an adult teacher, I'm walking in, I'm looking at a drawing of a nude woman and a man and all these nasty things on the wall and I have to teach. [00:13:50] Speaker A: Exactly. Yeah. You know, it's upsetting, really. It is, it is, it is upsetting. [00:13:54] Speaker B: Have you all spoken with the minister in terms of getting some sort of policy or whatever mechanisms in place for bullying in schools? These school children are about to leave primary school and embark on a new journey. And we saw the type of school violence that has been perpetrated in the past terms. How far have you all gone in terms of conversations and policies and procedures to prevent or at least minimize the risk of these things happening in the new school term? [00:14:21] Speaker A: Well, go as far as to tell you we have met with officials of the TTPS Santa Bingo Police Service, because I'm not sure if you're aware, but there are about 90 police officers being trained as we speak at the barracks specific to deal with school violence, school indiscipline and school bullying. [00:14:36] Speaker E: Wow. [00:14:36] Speaker A: Come September, they are going to be in our schools. They consider. Well, the schools are considered high risk schools. They have identified the TTPS and MOE have identified certain schools. We are yet to get the list of those schools who they consider high risk and police officers will be placed in the schools and in the proximity so that we can also have static and mobile and foot patrol within the precincts of the school to be able to control our school violence. Because harsh measures, Davey, require. Sorry, harsh times require harsh measures. And you have seen the bullying on the videos online and it's atrocious and what we see going on in our schools. We have to take action now in order to ensure that something serious doesn't happen among our school students. So we definitely endorse temporary as it is the involvement of ttps in our schools to be able to address and arrest what is taking place with school violence, school discipline and school bullying. [00:15:32] Speaker B: That is comforting news. That is comforting news. Hello. Good morning. [00:15:36] Speaker D: Morning, Mr. Murray. [00:15:37] Speaker B: Good morning. [00:15:37] Speaker D: Yeah, I want to applaud that. I want to applaud that. [00:15:41] Speaker A: Thank you. [00:15:41] Speaker D: The former Minister of Education, I had wish he had gotten a leader to support her like that. That was long overdue. Long overdue. These children because it has their rule things one, there's an authority there. Yeah. To be on top of it one time. Half of them will change their minds and the other half will be dealt with. [00:16:04] Speaker B: I agree. [00:16:05] Speaker D: Finally, I don't agree the entirely in a sense the parent, some of them trying the percentages are. [00:16:17] Speaker C: Opposite. [00:16:19] Speaker D: Right. The majority of parents are negligent and encouraged that we are like so going with the percentages. I believe parents should be penalized, maybe the odd one here and there who try their best and so on. But the majority of them, the trans learn from the parents and they follow the parents League. But majority of them neglect, negligence all over the place in certain areas. And the hot spot, it reeks in it. Rekind. [00:16:51] Speaker B: All right. All right. [00:16:53] Speaker D: Thank you Minister for the new initiative. Thank you. [00:16:56] Speaker B: Thank you. And while I want to comment on that, I think thorough investigation would be needed in order to bring parents of these, you know, children to justice. If you have, if parents are found to be blatantly neglecting children or not training them properly and you want to hold parents accountable. But I don't think we could paint with a broad brush. [00:17:17] Speaker A: No, we can't. We can't. Let's take it further though because what we are asking for as well is early intervention. [00:17:23] Speaker B: That's the point. [00:17:23] Speaker A: Early intervention is necessary. As soon as the child is 4 to 6 heading into first year, for example, you begin to do your diagnostic testing well being of the child so that you understand where the child is coming from and what issues and circumstances the child faces, even in the home. [00:17:41] Speaker B: Well said. Good morning. [00:17:42] Speaker C: Yeah, good morning. [00:17:44] Speaker B: Good morning. [00:17:45] Speaker C: I applaud this initiative to put police officers to deal with the, the juvenile delinquents that we have in school these these days. But I want the root cause as done by many studies of teenage delinquencies. It's a lack of a father in the home. Right. [00:18:10] Speaker D: And. [00:18:13] Speaker C: I'll tell You something, I have personal experience with this. And every, every bad delinquent that you see is a single mother that are not cast in aspersions. All single mothers. And the studies that show that single motherhood is one of the biggest contributions, contributors to teenage delinquency. [00:18:35] Speaker B: Okay. [00:18:36] Speaker C: Because they just don't have the man in the house to deal with that. And how is, how is the schools going to deal with this? Because, Daisy, root cause of the problem, right? Charging delinquents and whatnot is part of the solution. But to deal with this from the root, you have to give programs, free programs of how to parent, teaching parents how to parent. Because the parents nowadays getting younger and younger and younger, they don't even have a proper education. So when it comes to helping a child with their schoolwork, they can't do it. And this is where the state, probably the state could come in to TG's parents, who are children themselves, to parent and to learn and to further their studies and whatnot, if they so desire. Because you can't force people to learn, you know. Okay, so that is my. That is my two cents. [00:19:33] Speaker B: And I mean for me, I don't think we should put that in the state to teach parents how to parent. I don't think that's a state. That should be something state funded. I think if we start educating our younger girls. Yes, all right. About choices in life, bringing sex education to the school so that children will understand, of course, age appropriate information as you go along. But you bring that sex education class in there with the guidance counselor or somebody, I believe on those forums we can break that cycle. Because to teach a parent to parent, why you want to put that on the government to teach parent to parent. If we start, we already have the young girls and young men in school. We have them at an early age. Right. And we start educating them properly in terms of choices and decisions and what you should do as you grow older. At that juncture, in my respected opinion, we could curtail. [00:20:27] Speaker A: It's a holistic view as well too. Because whilst we agree with you on that one, we also hear that there is need for parenting. I always use the analogy, Devi, that when I bought my new phone and I came, it came with a manual when I made my first. But when we had our first daughter, we had no manual really, to be able to train. [00:20:43] Speaker B: Trial and error. [00:20:45] Speaker A: That's correct. Trial and error. So by having a parenting proposal, a parenting program, even from the neonatal stages, when the mother and father are visiting the health centers and the Clinics have some kind of interesting. Exactly. Discussion with your would be parents even at that stage. [00:21:02] Speaker B: Interesting. One text is saying why can't we get four weeks for Christmas instead of three? [00:21:08] Speaker A: Well, again, we want to make sure and have it proportionate and make sure that we have all 39 weeks of instructional time and teaching. [00:21:15] Speaker B: Beautiful answer. [00:21:16] Speaker A: We need to work out that. [00:21:17] Speaker B: Good morning. [00:21:20] Speaker D: Good morning. [00:21:20] Speaker B: Good morning. [00:21:22] Speaker D: So I, I'm an educator for over 22 years and there's something I have observed and I, I thank you for the opportunity to speak about it here in the radio. One is that we do have an adoption culture in Trinidad. A lot of people are parents, they don't have kids and they don't want to adopt. And two, there are many children, as the gentleman was saying, need a father. [00:21:48] Speaker A: Figure in their lives. [00:21:50] Speaker D: And I am thinking that there should be some sort of partnership if not adoption. Maybe people could be encouraged to mentor a child. I wouldn't. It's like a suite of adoption, like a Big Brother system could get the opportunity to have an impact on the lives of the children, especially ones who are given trouble. They should be adopted or be analytical mentorship from couples or individuals who may have an impact. There was once a Big Brother program that was, I think it was where patrician is that grounds. There was the headquarters over there. So that program is believe at this point and it should be revamped and it should be expanded. That is my contribution. [00:22:34] Speaker B: All right, thank you so much. [00:22:36] Speaker A: One of the issues we also looking at here is that peer counseling, peer mediation. Davy, the students might listen to me or to you, but might listen to their own peers. And if you're able to counsel, train, model our students, let's say in the fifth form, sixth form level, they can be able to talk with and speak to their peers and to guide them as to proper manner of behavior, etc. That's also another aspect, another element of help that we are looking at within our schools. Peer mediation, peer counseling. So they're able to deal with. [00:23:09] Speaker B: One person is saying single mother here. My child had no disciplinary issues, graduated early and was valedictorian upon leaving high school. Graduated with a first degree pre med and is on her way to her doctorate. Kudos to the great single parents and good mentors out there. We do our best and I want to congratulate this text. Thank you so much for sharing. Well done. Well done. [00:23:36] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:23:38] Speaker F: Good morning baby. To you and your guests. I believe as well, part of the problem strain from the parents. Part of the problem is psychological because when I was going to school when I left primary school I was a very good student and when I went to secondary school I was a bit bullied. I'm trying to, trying to fit in now to be so, you know, not to get bullied. I end up making friends with the people that was bullying me. And so in, you know, I started to be with them and started to follow what they were doing just because I was kind of scared not to be in their, in their company. So I started to do what they were doing and I realized that I found myself bullying other children, you know and you know, that's what I was saying. Like I think psychology has a lot to do with what's going on in children nowadays. Probably it's just like the head of a criminal institution divorce there and you know, the followers are wrong. But like I saying, you know what, I just, I just turned like that because I wanted to fit in. I wanted to be not bullied. I wanted to be part of the children who was fed. But I changed our ways. I wanted to do that again. But I say now psychologically I think we need to have that intervention in schools where there's regular testing of children's mental status, stuff like that. [00:24:59] Speaker A: That's a good example because you know the peer pressure and peer influence, those are real issues. My father has always told me when I was growing up, as early as five years old, Walter, don't be the follower, you be the leader. Yes. And I've used that strategy throughout my entire life. I was always. Well, I'm, I'm short but. And I was considered to be, you know, sheltered as well. So that going through secondary school it was not easy for me to deal with other tall, you know, they more energetic guys. But because my father inculcated in me the need to always be a leader. I used that as my, as a catalyst. Exactly. To move forward and has helped me throughout. [00:25:36] Speaker B: Good morning. [00:25:38] Speaker E: Well, let's say again, you know, Mr. Walter, call us. When I made a point. You see this school damaging of school for not. [00:25:46] Speaker A: Yeah, yes. [00:25:47] Speaker E: Things are really issued because you have an old wooden chair whom lasting 10 or 20 years and they back it up an iron chair. So I think in ministry that they need to put some intervention in place to mean it's really dealing with that because it's really above them. [00:26:00] Speaker B: All right. [00:26:01] Speaker E: The parent in the, with the psychological thing with the. I think a database of all the parents or all the children that doesn't have a father figure living house need to be done until yet primary school so we'll be able to kind of support them with the supporters need because there are people who with these single mothers who have a hand and there are some that need assistance, but they don't know what to do or how to handle that meal taker. So Mr. Was not in the objective initiative. So we can track these children effectively track them and keep them on a long line of where they needed. [00:26:33] Speaker B: Thank you very much. [00:26:34] Speaker A: Screening. Yeah, that's important. [00:26:35] Speaker B: One texter is saying there should be a law to hold parents accountable. This would be subjective. Through background checks to determine the root cause of the behavioral deficiency in the child. There are homes where massive abuse takes place. Children are brought up under these circumstances that could influence their behavior. Why penalize the product for the manufacturer's defect? [00:26:58] Speaker A: Yeah, and I always use the terminology that the jury is still out on that because Devi, I know of parents who are trying very hard to be able to train their children in the way that they should go. And you have said it because whilst you are one face at home, the peer influence and the peer pressure outside there, you are another face. So you totally change when you get outside there. [00:27:18] Speaker B: The whatsapper, for example, he said, I try to fit in. So his parents was bringing him up one way and would have been shocked. I saw your mother Mobigo wait for you to come up. Let's listen to this one as well. [00:27:29] Speaker A: Sure. [00:27:30] Speaker G: Good morning, gentlemen. I'm a former teacher and I stayed with teaching even after I retired early. This was required of me by people who knew me that I should continue teaching. I did do the other things that I intended, but I stayed with teaching as well. I find it amazing that people would not see the importance of parenting when all of these studies have shown the importance of parenting. This thing about you go listen to somebody in the panyard or you will listen to your peers, or you will listen to some guidance counselor or some television program, radio program, entertainer and so on. All of that might be useful. But the original model came with parenting. And it's still the best way to go, although we accept help wherever we can get it. Parenting, parenting, parenting. [00:28:28] Speaker B: Good point. Good point. [00:28:31] Speaker C: Hi. [00:28:32] Speaker E: Good morning, Mr. Davey. So this extra week that that laid out, the school is open. That is the best blessing most parents could get because most people get paid at Montaigne the first, and so they have an extra week to shop. Well, for me, that is the best. [00:28:51] Speaker D: News that I got. [00:28:52] Speaker B: All right. I don't see it that way. I, I, I, I almost on the side of Mr. Walter this this morning, given the fact that when you look at the academic year term and what is necessary the adjustment was needed. All right, so I look at it that way. [00:29:05] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. [00:29:06] Speaker H: Disagree with you because I move around and many times I see many nowadays parents does see the children doing the wrong thing and just turn our blind eye. So don't make excuse for the parents. Plenty of them does know the children doing wrong thing and this play they know unless something serious happen to trend then they just jump in. So don't blow the thing. You might be a good parent, might be good but I plenty of them there's allow the children to do shipments and encourage it because that what they call love which because they don't know to train the children. [00:29:37] Speaker B: Well again a thorough investigation and background check will unearth these things. Good morning. Morning. Morning. [00:29:44] Speaker C: So it comes, you know, it has appearance just decide I stopped talk. I said I talk because I talk and I do all the things that I could do. But because they don't know where to go or who to go or embarrass to go to look for help the child continues along that way until it gets into trouble. So those have been the reason I show every secondary school in Trinity must produce a doctor, policeman, a firearm, somebody of that nature. You think it's time that the parent teachers group ask for these people who came out of somebody's school to go back and say I am looking at the school that I come from. Look at the problem that the school produced and all your. [00:30:34] Speaker E: And the violent. [00:30:35] Speaker C: Areas and this one and try and lift the level just your presence to show what the school could produce could make a change. [00:30:48] Speaker B: All right. All right, thank you very much. [00:30:51] Speaker A: We have had several alumni. We do have several alumni in our schools. I have gone to graduations even this year where past students of those same schools who have done extremely well and continue to do well have now come back to encourage the motivate and inspire these students in the graduating class. So it of course is something ongoing and of course I do applaud the caller. It is something that is ongoing. It is presently taking place in our schools and we want to encourage alumni and past students being affiliated closely with the alma mater. [00:31:18] Speaker B: Well said. Hello, Good morning. [00:31:21] Speaker E: Hey, on that Last point there, Mr. Walter, if you observe right. That is the shrink of. I don't want to call anybody. If you could remember Mr. Manning and Mr. Pandey they were so they two other went presentation. They were associated at School street while they were prime minister old men. They used to have the old boys and recently I saw that school in San Fernando had 68 years celebration. The people who were 68 years old have a celebration. But what happened now there is nobody to foster or push that in the government secondary schools which are the bulk of these schools at influencing nation. So we need to these school borders are kind of a way to try to foresight it. But we need to recognize as professionals in the country that die one of the major ways and maybe we could encourage it and not encourage you that is developed because we try to government schools have to have somebody to really push down. Maybe the ministry might have to kind of initiate it and support those of us who see any benefit of it. [00:32:14] Speaker B: All right, thank you very much. [00:32:15] Speaker A: Morales. Morning Navy. I mean we are late but that's now sending a little video about the batteries and all right. [00:32:23] Speaker B: So that's a different conversation that we had earlier this morning. So I mean as we wind things down with this conversation, let's take this call quickly. Good morning. [00:32:31] Speaker I: Good morning, David. [00:32:32] Speaker B: Good morning. [00:32:33] Speaker I: I was trying to get in a long time. I am a one Parenting education is different to training attack. You can have a whole education mother and father in one house and it tells. And because it don't work better if you don't have something you can give if you are not training. Why when to tell the child you would nobody tell you it's wrong because you don't know. I sent my child from Mount Hope to Bath Area and when I asked her the first day what you did she said somebody pinched the teacher on the bottom and the teacher went and knocked up in the class and was crying holding. I take out from there and you know why? I take out someday. She was laughing like she was enjoying it because she ain't no better. That is the end of it. You have to know how to train a child. But if you are training, you can't train that child. You could have mother and father in house. It doesn't make no difference if I go to tell you what I go through when I move from Arupa to Omelet to get retired in school because the principal mark on the report card conduct conduct very fierce. [00:33:50] Speaker B: All right, thank you very much. [00:33:52] Speaker I: And they want to fight me for that. [00:33:54] Speaker B: I appreciate you sharing your personal experience. Thank you so much and I hope you have yourself a great day. We have been chatting with the president of the National Parent Teachers Association Walter Ste. Let's get a conclusion from you this morning. In terms of advice. We are maybe two weeks or so out. Three weeks or what today. [00:34:11] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. [00:34:12] Speaker B: About Two weeks and something to go before the new term begins. What is some advice you can lend to parents, especially those who have children or grandchildren, nieces, nephews, that are embarking into this new secondary system? [00:34:26] Speaker A: Right. That's a very good question. And of course we want to encourage our parents. The child is now in a continuing journey in education. And we need to ensure that we inculcate the proper values, the importance of education, because education gets you everywhere in life. So that once the children understand the need for education and the importance of education and that they chart their course in that alignment with the importance of education in order to achieve the ultimate. Because we all want to ensure that education must put value in the child at the end of the day. [00:34:58] Speaker D: But. [00:34:59] Speaker B: But is it not said that every child can be academically inclined? [00:35:02] Speaker A: Certainly. [00:35:02] Speaker B: So how do we identify that and help parents to know? Well, listen, you need to navigate now and branch off into something technical. [00:35:07] Speaker A: And that's why the ministry now as well has put out an advertisement for, for vacancies, for TVET instructors and we applaud them again for that. Because you are correct, all students are not academically inclined. And if they can get involved in sports, in culture, in skills, we want really the ideal child, the holistic child that can have all those facets, all those disciplines in their cycle. But of course, if they cannot academically inclined, they can be very skillful, they can be very sports oriented, or they can be involved in culture. So we want to make sure and harness those abilities and skills and target the trend accordingly in those lines. [00:35:45] Speaker B: We have been chatting with the president of the national parent teachers association, Mr. Walter Stewart. It's always a pleasure to have this good gentleman in studio as we share some good insights. Two takeaways for me. Schools are under repairs. 20 of those 240 something schools have been completed. All right, we have about 35 odd schools still need repairs, but approvals went up to 248 schools or something like that, and 20th of that has been completed. Ongoing repairs are continuing and 90 police officers approximately in the barracks right now are training. And I love this aspect. They are actually getting special training into how to deal with adolescent behavior and they will be deployed into various schools and no doubt they would be accompanied with other officers who would get training. As we widen this project. I remember a time of community policing and I think this song something similar, similar. So I want to thank you very much for putting forward that great initiative and seeing it through, seeing it be a fruit. [00:36:39] Speaker A: So the best insight, instant feedback, accountability, the all new Talk Radio Freedom 106.5.