An educator from the East Coast Demerara village of Annandale yesterday pleaded for counsellors to visit the community to help children look beyond the ethnicity of their peers.
The primary school teacher was airing her views to members of the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) at a community dialogue at the Lusignan Secondary School yesterday aimed at hearing the concerns of the residents there.
Yesterday’s dialogue was the second of four, which the commission is conducting in Lusignan, the scene of a massacre several weeks ago, and surrounding communities.
Although the dialogue was poorly attended, several strong suggestions and points came out at the meeting and at the end of it, the general consensus was that attention needed to be placed on the children, education and religion.
The educator told the commissioners that an example needed to be set so that the children in the community will be led along the right path.
She stressed that at school, teachers tried to mould the children, but it did not always work because parents at home were teaching their children something totally different. The children, the teacher said, were the ones who will suffer and that has to end.
“We have got to show that these races can work together,” she said seconds after relating a racial slur incident that had occurred between two students at her school.
The teacher said there was need for counsellors in the village to help with this situation. She said there was only so much the teachers could do and that teachers were also in need of counselling, adding that teachers needed to be trained to deal with certain situations. “We have a problem yes, but let us train them [the children] and try to do something now. Let people come out and show children how we must live,” she added.
The aim of the meeting was for there to be intimate discussions between the commissioners and the members of the Lusignan community. Fewer than 35 persons turned up yesterday and when it was discussion time, persons just sat there mutely. However, the few who spoke raised several important points.
Headmistress of Lusignan Secondary School Leslin Elliot said the people were still scared and there was still some tension. She said that since the tragedy fewer children were going to school.
She expressed some amount of satisfaction that the ERC had decided to hold a dialogue but said she was disappointed at the turnout.
Another teacher opined that two things needed to be focused on in the light of this tragedy – literature in schools and the return of the religious education. She said studying literature could help students evade negative problems such as banditry.
Meanwhile another resident said the lack of education was a major problem and getting parents on board could help address this. He pointed out that in many villages, all three religions are dominant and full use should be made of this. He said the older generation needed to interact with the younger generation.
One resident said he still could not eat or sleep well because of fear. He added that the bandits who carried out the horrible crimes needed to be caught if there was to be any peace among residents.
Chairman of the ERC, Bishop Juan Edghill, much like he did during the meeting at Mon Repos called for proper leadership in the community. He told residents yesterday that they should not allow anything to destroy their relationships with neighbours or allow opportunists to exploit the situation.
Members of the commission will meet Lusignan residents today and those in Friendship on Thursday.
