Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar called for a tougher approach to persistent indiscipline as students returned to classrooms for the new academic year, arguing that students who repeatedly disrupt schools should face consequences and that parents must take responsibility for their children’s behaviour. The National Parent Teacher Association has supported the prime minister’s emphasis on discipline and respect for teachers but questioned whether sending students home would address the underlying causes of their behaviour. NPTA President Walter Stewart said removing students from school could simply transfer the problem from the classroom to the home without providing the child or family with the support needed to resolve it. Counselling psychologist Dr. Krystal-Jane Verasammy similarly said discipline and accountability are necessary but should be balanced with an understanding of the factors contributing to persistent misbehaviour.

Former Education Minister Dr. Nyan Gadsby-Dolly has also criticised the proposal, arguing that student misconduct can be linked to wider social and educational challenges. She identified factors including hunger, abuse, undiagnosed learning disabilities, anger and neglect, and warned that excluding students without addressing those issues could shift the problem from schools into the wider community. Gadsby-Dolly called for the restoration and expansion of the Student Support Services Division, along with programmes such as the Military-Led Academic Training programme and youth camps, which she said could provide intervention for students experiencing serious behavioural or social difficulties. Her position reflects a broader debate over whether exclusion alone can reduce indiscipline or whether schools need stronger counselling, rehabilitation and social-support systems alongside disciplinary measures.