Trini scholar aiming to 'give back'
By Kim Boodram
A local scholar moved one step closer to his goal of addressing school violence in this country, when he was awarded a doctorate on peace education from Columbia University in the United States after seven months of field study in Trinidad.
Hakim Mohandas Amani Williams, who holds two Master's degrees and is a Bill Gates Millennium Scholarship winner, earned a doctorate in International Educational Development following his dissertation on school violence in Trinidad and Tobago.
"T&T has one of the highest homicide rates in the world per capita and schools have experienced a corollary increase in violence. The research site (in Laventille) is nationally stigmatised for its academic failures and violent notoriety, and features many students from poor communities."
The study was based on nine focus groups/class discussions, undertaken with 84 students, and 33 individual interviews were conducted with school personnel and Ministry of Education officials.
Williams's findings indicated that prevailing conceptualisations of school violence fail to consider many instances of adult-to-student violence.
"This highlights a focus on direct violence, while omitting a more critical interrogation of structural violence," Williams said.
His study interrogated many instances of student-to-student violence, but also considered student-to-adult violence and adult-to-student violence.
"I have also found that at my research site, more punitive measures and hyper surveillance are used to stop youth violence in school than student-centred interventions. These may be exacerbating the issue of youth violence than actually tackling it in a sustainable fashion."
The study also found that gangs provide many young people with a sense of belonging they could not find in their homes, and that many local schools lack the infrastructure to help children deal with sexual, physical or emotional abuse.
Williams, 32, was born in Laventille and moved to the United States after he graduated from Queen's Royal College.
He attended Morehouse College and later St Francis University in New York City, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Psychology.
His studies thereafter focused on working with children and addressing the problems of school and youth violence.
Of his native community, Laventille, Williams said, "I grew up with drugs, alcohol, gunshots, et cetera all around the community...But I also grew up with many in the community who used to call me Dr Williams as a child and cheer me on and I grew up in a home with a mom and grandma who did not have much formal education but who ardently believed in its value.
"Laventille brims with many hard working, decent, self-respecting and talented youth and adults. My obtaining this doctorate from one of the best universities in the world is in part a victory for Laventille. For too long has it been decried as this monolithically-doomed, crime-ridden place. There are many problems, yes, and on some fronts, it is worsening but where there exist grave problems, there also exists great hope."
Williams intends to return to this country as a consultant to assist in crafting sustainable and holistic interventions to deal with violence in schools.
