Govt. wants trained counsellors in every school

Nov 02, 2015 News

– to stem violence

Minister of Education, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine has made clear his intent to establish a central counselling body soon and to have trained counsellors in each school across the country.
Roopnaraine related that the rampant violence in society is finding its way into the school system. As such, there is an urgent need for counsellors within these schools to help create an environment of learning.
He stated that only through regular and professional counselling can the issue of violence in schools be adequately tackled. While admitting that such a move is a big one, he stated that it is a necessary and good step.
He related his unhappiness of the number of qualified counsellors currently employed in the school system as the student to counsellor ratio is too high.
The Minister has also been aiming to stop the practice of corporal punishment within schools and revealed his disappointed that this is still being done.
Roopnaraine intimated that corporal punishment can often lead to psychological scarring as it is no different from physical abuse. Classrooms should not be a place of fear but rather, one of learning. It is for this reason that the Minister is looking to do away with the practice by adjusting relevant legislation in the near future.
GTU President, Mark Lyte however, stated that the union is against the abolishment of corporal punishment. “The union’s position remains the same on the issue. We are not supportive of corporal punishment being taken out of the schools as the Ministry is yet to put alternatives in place to deal with aggressive children.”
Lyte said that when various (proven) alternative measures have been put in place, only then will the union rethink their stance on corporal punishment. “Unless the Minister provides effective measures to deal with badly-behaved children, we as a union must say that this must remain.”
In the year 2013, the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU), indicated that it did not support the abolition of corporal punishment. Former GTU Secretary, Coretta McDonald, opined that the abolition of corporal punishment may prove to be disastrous for teachers as there are many hostile students.
Many members of the GTU stated that corporal punishment is the only tool available to them to better mold future generations.

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Govt. wants trained counsellors in every school

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