CCTV cameras and alarm systems are currently being placed in schools to ensure safety Education Minister Shawn Edward said this week.
“Security will always be an area of concern for us. As we speak today, I’m aware that CCTV cameras… [and] alarm systems are being installed in schools. I have made the point repeatedly that it is more than just having security personnel or a watchman at the gate of a school on a morning to ensure that intruders do not come onto the compound,” the minister told reporters, adding that “we have to move with the times.”
“We have a situation where we can no longer just leave our schools at 4:30 expecting to return the next day with everything intact. There are persons waiting; they are on the prowl looking to break into the schools and leave with whatever valuables they can get,” he said.
According to the minister, the government has spent “quite a bit of money” procuring security equipment.
Furthermore, he stated, “You want… when students and teachers are in session, that they too are not vulnerable to whatever unsavoury elements we have out there waiting to pounce so it’s something that is all-encompassing. The conversation will always continue with the stakeholders, the police included.”
The ministry is also cracking down on school attendance.
“We want to be a lot tighter on attendance, so I have met very recently with the school attendance officer to ensure that he goes out there not just at the school level to interface with principals to find out which students have not been present, but to even go to the communities and find out what the problems are and in instances where we are able to provide support we will do so,” he noted.
The well-being of teachers will also be placed at the forefront.
According to the minister, “We want our teachers to be in a position where they can impact the national curriculum, they can mold the young minds entrusted in their care for the creation of better citizens, but we are equally committed to the well-being of teachers. As I indicated, in the coming days, we will be meeting with the executive of the SLTU and the National Principals Association with a view this time not to speak about the gaps and to deal with dilapidated infrastructure in some cases, but to speak specifically about the well-being of teachers.
“I can assure you that as an administration, the prime minister himself and the rest of my cabinet colleagues, we are committed to giving the best possible educational experience to our children so that they can grow up, become model citizens who can make positive contributions to the advancement of Saint Lucia,” the minister added.