EDUCATION Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said students who drop out of school and low academic achievers can be vulnerable to the lure of criminals.

She added that her ministry is focusing on these students as part of its contribution to reducing crime.

Gadsby-Dolly made these statements during a PNM public meeting in San Juan on January 18.

She said contrary to claims from the Opposition UNC, the Government does not deny that Trinidad and Tobago has a crime problem.

"This government has not run from that."

Gadsby-Dolly said similar to education, crime is everybody's business.

She identified school dropouts and low academic achievers as two categories of students who could be easily targeted by criminals to join their gangs.

While the ministry does what it can internally to keep children in school and educationally engaged, Gadsby-Dolly said some children need to be removed from the regular school environment and placed into environments that will help.

She reminded PNM supporters about her ministry's mandatory policy to send students expelled for bad behaviour to the Military Led Academic Training (Milat) programme.

On November 24, Gadsby-Dolly said she has the legal authority to instruct that these students can be placed in Milat, which falls under the Youth Development and National Service Ministry.

Gadsby-Dolly said, "By law, students under the age of 16 are required to be enrolled in an educational institution."

She added, "The Education Act provides for the expulsion of students by the minister under circumstances."

Milat, Gadsby-Dolly continued, is a special education institution "and can, therefore, accommodate the educational continuity of students outside of the mainstream school system."

She said this is the legal framework that underpins "the compulsory enrolment of students under the age of 16 into Milat."

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