A residential facility offering therapeutic support for students with severe behavioural difficulties will open by 2028, Minister for Educational Transformation Chad Blackman announced on Tuesday, amid what he called an “unacceptably growing” problem in classrooms.
The proposed centre would cater for children aged 12 to 18 with extreme behavioural challenges, providing full-time residential programmes and a wide range of psychosocial, behavioural, personal development, academic and artistic interventions.
The move will be carried out in partnership with the private sector and non-governmental organisations and in line with the impending child protection legislation.
“Many of our children behave well,” Blackman said, “but there is an unacceptably growing number of children whose behaviour will not be tolerated in our schools.”
“Students housed in the facility will be required to access a full-time residential programme,” Blackman announced. “It will provide a range of interventions and strategies that will cater to the psychosocial, behavioural, and personal development and academic and artistic attainment of school-aged children between the ages of 12 and 18, in line with the prescriptions of the impending child protection legislation.”
The initiative is part of a broader drive to improve student behaviour and emotional well-being across the education system. Blackman also announced the reinstatement of the Positive Behaviour Management Programme under the name VIBE – Values Driven Inclusive Behavioural Excellence and Empowered Learning Environments.
“This initiative seeks to foster supportive school cultures across the basic education system in the country and aligns with the UNICEF child-friendly schools framework,” he said.
From the start of the upcoming academic year, VIBE will focus on student-centred learning, creating safe spaces and promoting positive discipline.
“It encompasses a comprehensive social and emotional learning programme that will be rolled out across all schools to support the emotional well-being, resilience and positive development of students, foundational to academic success and healthy school environments,” Blackman told MPs.
He said the ministry was also working with NGOs and private sector organisations on programmes that will sensitise teachers, non-teaching staff, students and parents to “the importance of raising a more emotionally intelligent generation.” (FW)
The post Residential rehab centre ‘for students with severe behavioural issues’ appeared first on Barbados Today.