Headteacher defends sending home 64 students for not having textbook

Jun 20, 2011 News

“Some parents purchase …BlackBerry cell phones for their children, but they can’t purchase a simple textbook for $1,000…” – Principal

The Principal of the New Amsterdam Multilateral School, Jacqueline Benn, has given an explanation for sending home 64 Form 3 students last week Monday for not having the Literature novel ‘A Brighter Sun’.
She said that the students knew that they had to acquire the book since the beginning of the current school term.
“All the test questions would come primarily focusing on that text. Out of 189 students, 64 students were defiant. They were given time to get the book—to be exact, seven weeks into the term—64 students continued to defy the authority”, she said.
The acting Deputy Headteacher of the school, Narinedat Dhanraj had sent home the students on the day in question and this caused a stir among some parents. The students were told to go home and not return to school unless they acquired the book.
A number of irate parents contacted Kaieteur News to vent their frustration over the ruling. They stated that they were very interested in their children’s education, but things are expensive.
“Mr. Dhanraj, in his capacity as acting Deputy on the day in question, took the initiative to ask them to go home and collect the book, because he spoke to them the week before and said not to come without the book. On that particular day, they defied authority and they turned up without the book, so he asked them to go home and get the book. Apparently, some students hadn’t the book at all over the seven-week period, so they attempted to purchase the book”, the principal stated.
Ms. Benn added that arrangements were made with a store for the books to be brought into the school. She said that more than 95 per cent of the students now have copies of the book “which teachers use to complete the curriculum for the end of the term”.
She noted that many of the students returned the very day after they were sent home with the book. Benn posited that there may have been miscommunication between students and parents and that led to the parents being misinformed about the entire matter. “Some children do not communicate with their parents. Some of them lied to their parents that they only knew the day before and that was not so. Parents were angry because they hadn’t any knowledge [that their children had to get the book]”, she said.
She urged parents to ensure they come into school and check with teachers regularly “before becoming angry and making some very negative statements about what is happening”. She said that at the end of the day, results are important, “and should their children fail, they will question what the school has done or what they school was doing”.
“At the end of every term, they (students) are given a list of supplementary books that they have to use and in English ‘B’, the government can’t provide for every child”, she said.
Benn also observed that some parents purchase very expensive electronic gadgets for their children, “for example, BlackBerry cell phones, when you find that they can’t purchase a simple textbook for $1000″. She urged parents to prioritize what they give their children, especially when it comes to their education.
“Some may want to say that the BlackBerry would support the internet, but they can go with a cheaper cell phone that supports internet readiness and purchase the school equipment and textbooks”, she stated.

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Headteacher defends sending home 64 students for not having textbook

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