A policy proposed by the Ministry of Education (MoE) to deal with school violence is currently being piloted in a secondary school before being published.
On Monday, the MoE was asked by Stabroek News about the status of the policy and its implementation and its Public Relations Manager, Murtland Haley, responded that it is now being piloted.
“Ministry of Education is currently testing portions/aspects of it at a Secondary School. If necessary, it will be amended and published soon. That’s as much as I can say at this point”, he said.
The policy comes as a direct response to several incidents of school violence between students, students and teachers and parent and teachers. There have also been invasions of school compounds. Recent incidents have included a school altercation at the Anns Grove Secondary School which resulted in a student receiving medical attention for several stab wounds.
On Thursday November 9th Jamal Reid was struck in the head in the Golden Grove Secondary School’s compound by another student with a cricket bat. He sustained a fractured skull. Reid underwent an emergency surgery for the internal bleeding, blood clotting and the fractured skull.
Months ago, there was also an attack on a teacher by a parent at Graham’s Hall Primary School, East Coast Demerara, and a similar attack by a parent on a teacher at Winfer Gardens Primary School, Georgetown. In both cases the perpetrators were charged and placed before the court.
Other instances of school violence included an attack on a student at Harmony Secondary School, Wismar, Linden, by a gang armed with a pair of scissors, a length of wood, and a knife, and at the Lodge Secondary and Campbellville Secondary schools in the city, where armed intruders, accompanied by students, invaded the schools’ compounds and attacked both teachers and students. At Houston Secondary School, an altercation between a student and a teacher escalated following intervention by a parent. In this instance, the teacher armed herself with a cutlass. Several of these events were video-recorded and posted on social media, with one educator referring to the violence as the “new COVID.”
Protest actions followed several of these altercations, with teachers, parents, and students, voicing their frustration at the lack of safe school environments. They pointed to a number of security gaps which include no proper security. It was pointed out that in some instances, there are single unarmed guards who are unable to provide any form of protection against intrusions. They also cited inadequate fences at schools, which render them vulnerable to intruders.
The Ministry has condemned such actions and maintained that they will not be tolerated, with the Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, noting that a committee was established and was headed by the late education specialist, Olato Sam.
With regard to the proposed policy, she explained that it sets out how all the schools in the region will function in relation to dealing with violence in schools.
The minister further noted that the first draft of the policy had been presented to her and the document should will be ready for the new school term following consultations with key stakeholders.
Manickchand was mum on what the policy might entail but assured that all stakeholders will be involved in its compilation.
The policy was supposed to be ready for the commencement of the current school term, but instead, will be posted before the end of the current term.
