Following a complaint by a parent, the Ministry of Education yesterday said that the blood type of a student doesn’t have to be disclosed before admission to a school.

Education Minister Shaik Baksh yesterday told Stabroek News when contacted that even though it was just one case his ministry decided to place an advertisement to deal with the issue as well as matters regarding contingency funds and birth certificates.

He said sometime ago a ‘child development index card’ was developed for schools and one of the things it requested was the blood type of the child.

The minister said there have never been reports where the blood type of any child was being demanded.

However, an admission teacher at a school requested this from the aggrieved parent and informed the parent that the child would not be admitted. The parent then complained, the minister said, and  the teacher and the head teacher of the school have since been advised that stating the blood type of a child is not necessary.

In an advertisement in the Guyana Chronicle yesterday the ministry advised schools that children cannot be refused admission because of inability to pay contingency funds, refusal to take a blood group test and non-possession of a valid birth certificate.

The ministry said that it has been brought to its attention that head teachers are making requests for contingency funds, in contravention of a circular it had sent out earlier this year which speaks about non-budgetary funds, including contingency funds.

“The Ministry of Education wishes to make it clear that only the Parent-Teacher’s Association of any school can make a request for the payment of contingency funds and the general membership must be in agreement,” the advertisement said.

“In cases where a child does not possess a valid birth certificate the head teachers and school welfare officers will provide assistance to obtain such within three to six months,” the ad further said.

Baksh said that his ministry had sent out a detailed circular on the issue which set out the established procedures to be followed. He said that they want to get the Parent-Teacher’s Associa-tions (PTA) involved in the activities in the schools and it is only way to have them meet and be “energized” even if it is just to get a consensus on the issue of contingency funds.

He said many schools are complying but there are still a few schools that are requesting the contingency funds and refusing entry to children because of the absence of a birth certificate.