EDUCATION Minister Dr Michael Dowlath has urged students to their voices for positive purposes rather than to wound others, as he reaffirmed government’s commitment to ensuring that every school in TT becomes a safe, inclusive, and emotionally supportive space for learning.

Speaking at the Secondary Schools Anti-Bullying Conference held on October 15 at the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts (SAPA), San Fernando, Dowlath stressed that schools must be “safe and secure places of learning,” not only for academic development but also for the holistic growth of every child.

“We want to be firm, but we also want to be fair,” Dowlath said, referencing the ministry’s code of conduct on bullying, which prescribes clear penalties for offenders. “Our goal is not just to correct behaviour, but to heal relationships between those who have been involved in acts of bullying. We want to restore those relationships so they can go back into the classroom and learn together.”