Dear Editor,
The Stabroek News of March 15 under the heading ‘Region moves to avert “crisis” at Linden school’ read: “Indiscipline and criminal activities at the Linden Foundation Secondary School have reach-ed a crisis state… According to Regional Chairman Mortimer Mingo, indiscipline in schools is widespread throughout the Region, but the situation at the Linden Foundation School demands immediate attention.” Quite recently several students were placed before the courts for violent offences which, according to the report, the presiding Magistrate Ann McLennan found appalling and asked probation officers to engage the school’s headteacher. I was in court in relation to one such incident when the Magistrate expressed her annoyance and even berated the school, saying that any more such offences henceforth coming before her and she would be putting the students away. The article further stated that Mingo convened a special meeting with the Region 10 Department of Educa-tion, the Regional Democratic Council’s Education Committee, The Guyana Teachers’ Union Welfare Officers, probation and family welfare officers, etc. It’s amazing that with all these bodies put together they are lost and out of touch with the world the students are living in, since according to the report, “while they have been engaging the attention of the school’s administration, its efforts have been failing.” Now if all these bodies are at sea, not having their finger on the button, is it any wonder that the schools too are in crisis? Further, can’t we hear the alarm bells ringing when according to Chairman of the school board Wilfred Featherstone, teachers who are duly paid to do a job have been defaulting; that the board is so weak, that it would be rated 2 on a scale of 1 to 10; that at the most recent PTA meeting only two parents were present and no teachers; that the school’s administration is so divided that there is non-cooperation. Man, isn’t this some kind of a crisis?
But back to the students attending court. Without being an apologist for the students’ conduct, we need to remember that the fabric of our society has long been torn and ragged and we have not even begun to pick up the pieces, let alone put them back together again like humpty dumpty.
There are children from unwholesome homes where the family structure is more damaged than nature and the law permit; hence our schools most naturally inherit children with unimaginable problems and heart-rending stories – the works. It is therefore imperative that there be a firm and delicate approach at one and the same time in handling these children. Why then are they being paraded before the courts when there are enough other relevant underworked departments that are established to deal with these matters, except in special cases where they may have to be dealt with by the court?
There are some who feel that having the children before the court could have a sobering effect on them; that it would be intimidating, like a wake-up call, making them pull themselves up. Yes, maybe, but it could also turn out counterproductive, having a negative effect: “If we treat them like little criminals they will become big criminals.” And by the way, we do have some welfare personnel who are not on the ball at all, attending to issues in too much of a mechanical and totally subjective way, and thus they cannot produce the desired results.
I have noted the recommendations that were made at the meeting convened by the Regional Chairman which I think augurs well; this is a good approach if we truly want to have a more harmonious and conducive learning environment. For example, the holding of current affairs sessions and the visiting of homes by welfare officers – which should be conducted in a professional and ethical fashion – since we cannot analyse what is going on in schools in isolation from everyday happenings. Make no mistake about it, those incidents are all entwined, and are socio-economic in nature. There are children who go to school without breakfast and no money to buy snacks, yes siree! It follows that the ills of the schools cannot be solved independently when they are part of a socially sick society.
But the recommendation about meeting with students is a commendable one which is long overdue. To achieve its goal children must not be talked down to, but mainly listened to, so they could air their truckload of issues which we have so long deliberately suppressed by not allowing them to express themselves freely and without fear. Not until we are prepared to listen to them, to understand their feelings, their world, will we be able to make any connection or headway. I am suggesting that such a forum should be made up so that students are made to feel at ease, confident and have the trust and protection of those who comprise such a body. Students know too well what is vindictiveness, they talk about it. I agree that children are not all angels, but neither so are all teachers, and children do have rights; what they need to be taught is responsibility. I have heard of head teachers not exercising any tolerance with students, not listening or sifting stories through, but swallowing hook line and sinker whatever is told by the teacher, and this does not always help. Children complain of teachers abandoning class for almost anything; of disorderly students whom they cannot control disrupting class – “If you can’t control your class then how can you teach?”
They tell of teachers saying to them “Yuh all can do wha yuh like, them ain’t care, month-end they money deh at the bank.” Well this is nothing strange, I’ve heard teachers say so myself. I recall attending a PTA some years ago and hearing a senior teacher saying openly in a loud and arrogant manner to the gathering that she was not worrying herself with anybody’s child, since she already got what she wanted and her children were doing just fine. Fine, so once again I must repeat this point, that if teachers were paid in accordance with each child’s performance, rest assured they would be much more caring, mindful, thoughtful and teaching paragons – a different ball game altogether. Children also complained of being suspended at the drop of a hat; tell me, how does suspension help a child who is already below par? I contend that this penalty should only be applied when it is absolutely necessary. At the end of the day whatever we do in the schools must be for the betterment of our children. It does seem to me that while there may be a paper policy to take care of slow learners, in actual fact it is non-existent, and they are not truly paid much attention to. They are neglected, and silently condemned to failure.
Are we so blind not to recognize that those who are neglected and rejected are the ones who become a menace to us making our lives miserable, or don’t we care, have we not seen enough?
The programme launched for dealing with the problem, Operation Take Back, will certainly have much work to do, and Linden would want it to succeed at all costs. It is my view that in the light of what is going on in our society that there should be a psychologist permanently on staff at all secondary schools.
Yours faithfully,
Frank Fyffe
