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With vi­o­lence es­ca­lat­ing in sec­ondary schools across T&T, Min­is­ter of Ed­u­ca­tion Dr Michael Dowlat is won­der­ing whether the root lies with­in the home, par­tic­u­lar­ly in in­ci­dents of do­mes­tic abuse that chil­dren might be wit­ness­ing and repli­cat­ing.

In his Fa­ther’s Day ser­mon at the Susamachar Pres­by­ter­ian Church yes­ter­day, Dowlat, a lay preach­er and el­der, made an im­pas­sioned ap­peal for fa­thers to be more present in their fam­i­lies’ lives. He warned that vi­o­lence at home might be fu­elling in­dis­ci­pline in schools.

“Schools are sup­posed to be safe places of learn­ing. Where is that dis­re­spect com­ing from? Is it com­ing from our homes?” he asked.