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Teacher pulls cutlass after attacked by parent, student
Kaieteur News – A teacher attached to the Houston Secondary School on Thursday brandished a cutlass to defend herself after she was attacked by a female parent and a student.
Kimone Gentle, the Houston Secondary School teacher involved in the fight with a parent and student
The teacher, Kimone Gentle is the third teacher to be attacked in the last two weeks and the fifth this year. Gentle, however, fought back and went to the extreme in defending herself with a cutlass. It landed her in police custody but she was released after lawyer, Darren Wade negotiated with police. Miss Gentle’s clash with the parent and student was caught in a cell phone recorded video and showed a scuffle among the three. The male student had to be restrained by a security officer while Gentle and the parent had to be pulled apart from each other.
Gentle’s colleagues tried to calm her down as the parent and student were taken away from the school. The teacher however armed herself with a cutlass and pursued her attacker while other teachers pleaded, “Miss Gentle stop, miss gentle please stop”.
Kaieteur News understands that both the teacher and the parent were taken into custody at the North Ruimveldt Police Station. Following her release on station bail, Gentle joined her colleagues and President of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) Mark Lyte as they sang the lyrics of the Internationale “Solidarity forever.”
Gentle defending herself with a cutlass
Questioned about the actions caught and camera, Gentle told the media that she did not want to get into the details of what transpired because she was advised by her lawyer not to do so. She said, however, that violent attack on teachers “has become the new COVID” and added, “I would like to see a better relationship between teachers, parents and students so that we can work on what we are being paid to do which is to educate the children in our care.”
Meanwhile, Lyte said: “…The aggression has to stop and we have to find amicable ways to resolve our differences”. He also called for better security system in schools and for legislative reform to address violence against teachers. The Teacher’s Union also issued a statement saying: “It’s a total shame to see that a female teacher has to go to an extreme to defend herself at her place of work. The same place where teachers are expected to educate and keep learners safe, they themselves are unsafe.” The union warned that it will take extreme actions if such acts against teachers are not dealt with.
Education Minister, Priya Manickchand also shared her view after learning about the altercation. On her Facebook page she said: “In every altercation between a teacher and parent/s, a child will be affected. Remember that. And dial down all the talks of violence and hostility”.
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