Prevailing violence in public schools worrying to GTU

Nov 24, 2016 News

lack of security or able-body security guards at some schools a concern

GTU President,
Mr. Mark Lyte

There has reportedly been an upsurge in violence in the public school system. This disclosure was recently made by President of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU), Mr. Mark Lyte.

Lyte, at a recent press conference, disclosed that the union is alarmed by the many instances of violent acts perpetrated against teachers. And these acts, according to him, have manifested at the primary, secondary and even tertiary level institutions.

“Teachers are at their wits’ end; they are being challenged by students. Added to this, many parents would go into school premises and assault our teachers and this is unfortunate. The very teachers who are expected to teach are being assaulted by their students and parents too,” Lyte underscored.

The prevailing violent situation, the GTU President said, has been linked to limited or no security at some schools. Lyte related, “We did say many months ago that the persons who are employed to secure those schools are not very able individuals. So when parents barge into those schools they cannot be stopped by those individuals.”

“It is a problem that is affecting schools throughout Guyana. In some regions there are no day-security and so anything goes during the day; anybody could walk off the road and go into these schools. We have even had cases where teachers were robbed in school. We are appealing for something to be done urgently,” Lyte emphasized.

The GTU President said that the Union is appealing to the Ministry of Education to address the violence issues forthwith since “many of our teachers are being injured. We are hearing about children slapping teachers, pelting them with objects, throwing bombs in the schools and nothing is being done to help resolve this matter.”

According to Lyte, the Union is not only seeking the intervention of the Minister of Education and his team but even the Government in such a troubling matter.

But there have been reports of children being abused by teachers in the school system too. However, Lyte had little information of such acts occurring in the school system. He asserted that “those are allegations. We have been speaking to our teachers and we are not aware that teachers are in the habit of injuring children…We know that in many cases some of those children come from home with their injuries and that is blamed on the teachers.”

Reflecting on an incident at a school recently, Lyte said that it took an investigation to reveal that a child believed to have been abused in the school system was instead abused elsewhere. “I think a lot of those cases, because of what goes on in the home, sometimes there are children who come with their injuries from home and teachers sometimes get the blame…” said Lyte.

He stressed that the Union has been doing its job to ensure that children are not abused.

He disclosed that only head teachers have the authority to carry out corporal punishment in the school system, as he insisted that flogging has certainly not been abolished in the school system. Lyte however explained that head teachers have the authority to flog children in the school system or to instruct particular teachers to do so.

“As far as I know, teachers have been following the policy as it relates to corporal punishment,” Lyte as he underscored that there is no excuse for teachers being abused in the school system while conducting their duties.”

Although there have been many calls for the abolition of corporal punishment, the GTU has been resolute in its stance for it to remain a feature in the public school system. “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 had earlier proclaimed.
Lyte said that when various (proven) alternative measures have been put in place, only then will the union rethink its 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.”
GTU General Secretary, Coretta McDonald, had opined that the abolition of corporal punishment may prove to be disastrous for teachers as there are many hostile children found in their classrooms.
Minister of Education, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, stated that “the ministry will not step back from the issue. We will try to persuade the GTU that this is the best way to go.”
Dr. Roopnaraine said that he will try to get across to the GTU that “we have 21^st century outlook on the enforcement of discipline.” Beating children, he said, is a “really medieval practice and we can’t encourage it.”

“I don’t see it as a major obstacle, as their interest is to ensure they have an environment where they can teach and where children are not distracted. I don’t believe corporal punishment is the way to do this,” he said.
Dr Roopnaraine, moreover, 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 last year related that his Ministry will be looking to do away with the practice by adjusting relevant legislation in the future.