The Ministry of Education has launched an investigation into an attack on a Winfer Gardens Primary teacher by a parent at the school’s East Street, Georgetown premises yesterday morning.
Stabroek News understand that the incident unfolded around 8.30am just after the teacher, Yolanda Jackson had reported for duty.
Contacted yesterday, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ministry of Education Brushell Blackman yesterday told Stabroek News that an investigation is ongoing into the incident.
He could not provide any information as to what transpired but promised a detailed statement once the facts are available.
Jackson, this newspaper was told, teaches a Grade One class at the Winfer Gardens Primary School where she has been employed for several months now.
Reports are that Jackson was approached by a parent of one of her students shortly after she had arrived on the school’s premises. The parent reportedly accused her of hitting her child in school.
Jackson denied having any knowledge of the incident which the parent was enquiring about but promised to look into it. However, the parent reportedly continued to seek an answer from Jackson.
“She approached me, she didn’t come to talk it out, she came to fight…I tried to walk away but she grabbed me from behind and she started the assault,” Jackson told the media yesterday.
Jackson sustained injuries about her body during the incident. She was taken to a city hospital where she received several stitches to her wounds.
She is calling for a thorough investigation into the matter.
As reports of the incident surfaced, several officials visited the school yesterday.
Assistant Chief Education Officer with responsibility for all primary schools, Carol Benn and General Secretary of the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) Coretta McDonald told the media that there is zero tolerance for this type of behaviour.
Benn said that the Ministry received a call yesterday stating that a parent “ran into” a Grade One class and “beat up” on a teacher, injuring her.
“We are very upset about this and we will not encourage that attitude. No parent should go into any school and beat up on any teacher,” she said while noting, “we are going to act and act swiftly.”
Meanwhile, McDonald said “We are not going to sit idly by and allow parents to continue to assault our teachers and injure them…..the fact is two wrongs can’t make a right”.
She said if any parent is upset, there is a system in place to report all incidents.
“…..If a parent is upset because a teacher might have, because it’s an allegation, might have flogged his/her child there is a process, there is a way to conduct yourself, there is a way to report all incidents,” she noted.
McDonald said that the GTU is prepared to offer anger management or any other form of counselling to the parent if the need arises.
