When the good is caught up in the mix

May 12, 2018 Letters

Dear Editor,
A Grade Seven student (Form 1) of Tutorial High School in Georgetown informed me that one of her teachers beat her and half the class for not doing homework. This student who reported this to me is a good student who is extremely diligent with homework and studies.
On this rare occasion, there was an event at home which prevented her from going to the Internet Cafe to do the necessary printing in time and it made her depressed. She said she tried to explain to the teacher but the teacher did not even listen, or cared to understand.
She said more than half the class were hit in their hands and made to stand at the back of the class in humiliation. She said one of her classmates, who did her homework, was shivering when the teacher came next to her to inquire whether she had done homework.
She said this was the first time in her life that she has ever been hit in class by a teacher and she was in shock. She also said that most of the students who were hit almost never do homework, so they are continually experiencing abuse in class, with no effect.
I am deeply saddened to hear this story. This child is never abused in the privacy of her home physically and treated like a Princess, so it is deeply painful to hear that she is being physically abused in an Institution where she should be safe.
I feel moved enough by this injustice to ask our nation to once again consider this issue of abolishing corporal punishment in schools. Speaking to the Head Teacher or Teachers of Tutorial High School or the Ministry of Education will make no difference. This is a matter of public concern. The Ministry of Education is a toothless poodle with its Manual of Guidelines which clearly states that Corporal Punishment should be used as a last resort and administered only by the Head Teacher and/or Senior Master / Mistress. Time and again, this nation is coming up against the same problem, with no resolution in sight.
If concerned parents, guardians and citizens do not stand up for abused children, we are failing in our duty to love, protect and educate them. President Granger is one politician who has expressed understanding and sensitivity about this issue. And it is my hope that by bringing this issue to light, the country can once again begin to look seriously at this issue of child abuse in state institutions.
As if by God’s mercy, some Canadians (Representatives of the Queen of England) have landed up in Tutorial High School for a short stay. I hope the teachers in that school with mental health issues can learn something about dignity in Education from these representatives.
Sincerely,
Concerned Parent
Editor’s note: The debate about corporal punishment is ongoing. Further, there should never be excuses for unfinished assignments. A senior official once said that excuses are for the waste basket.

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