Dear Editor,
It is with deep concern that I write on the following caption, “Parent charged for assaulting teacher” (Guyana Times, 10th February, 2023).
I shudder to think of the utter breakdown of values in our school system that would allow such a highly disrespectful action to take place against our educators.
The media carried two reports of such violent acts against our teachers. One act was against teacher Nicasey Barker of St. Angela’s Primary School on January 12, 2023; and the other was against teacher Shawn Marshall of Graham’s Hall Primary School on January 11, 2023 (Guyana Times, 10th Feb, 2023).
It seems that the days are gone when teachers were esteemed highly; when their words or actions or guidance were greatly prized and looked upon with reverence as words of wisdom, and they were considered as the next being after GOD.
Back in the days when I was a child, it was an honour to carry the teacher’s bag, to fetch the teachers’ books with which they taught us as students. As a student, it was an honour to accompany teachers safely to their homes, after they would have spent long hours after school in the evenings teaching you the subjects of Mathematics, the Sciences, and Language that you need to pass the GCE “O” and “A” Level exams.
My heart pains greatly to know that a parent or a child taught by the hand of a teacher would slap or kick a teacher. A parent should honour a teacher, for that parent has entrusted the safekeeping of his/her child to the teacher. The parent can never recompense the teacher for the time and care that teacher had been giving to the child or children when that parent was busy at work or at home.
The question I have been asking myself after reading the reports of violence against our teachers in our schools here in Guyana is: “What is responsible for this complete breakdown of morals in our school system?” The answer that I seem to be always getting is stemming from the removal of Religious Education from our schools’ academic curriculum.
Back in my days, almost every school had a church/chapel located within its building, or would set aside time in the study curriculum for the teaching of religions or morals. Church-school was the norm in my day. You began every school day with prayers to God, wherein you asked the Almighty to bless your teachers and protect them, and to keep them safe and to give us students the capacity to absorb their teachings.
During religious teaching time in my days, you were taught at school to respect your elders, to treat their correction and discipline as acts to lead you in the “straight and narrow way”.
You were taught the self-discipline of morals such as honesty, hard work, and being good statesmen and women of your country. You were taught to be leaders of integrity. And how well these teachings by our most loved teachers have served us! Just look at the kind of statesmen that the church-school system has produced: men like Mr. Rashleigh Jackson, Mr. Odeen Ishmael, Dr. Cheddi Jagan, Mr. LFS Burnham, Mr. Pryor Jonas, Justice Duke Pollard, Dr. Steve Surujbally, Mr. Malcolm Parris: all diplomats and honoured Guyana scholars (and I am tempted to state my own name – Hajji Dr. Roshan Khan (you may smile, reader)).
Look how far our education standards have fallen since those golden years. Teachers are now afraid to be in the schools of our country – a place where they once felt safe and free and happy to engage the minds of their young charges without restrictions.
Violent parents and violent students should have no place in our schools in Guyana. Violent parents should be dealt with according to the maximum level of the law. Students can be dealt with according to juvenile and criminal laws, based on the ferocity of the acts they have committed.
These kinds of violence-oriented students could be leaders of gangs in the future; and gangs could lead to gang warfare in schools. Teachers, administrators and other students could become their target. This is a situation that needs to be “nipped” immediately. I am happy to see Government and the authorities have taken action by charging Ms. Ashelle Clement (parent) with assault, and placing her before the courts for assaulting the teacher (Guyana Times, 10th Feb, 2023).
I applaud the statement by the newly appointed Chief Education Officer Mr. Saddam Hussain, for his statement in the media, that “Whatever the circumstances, it (assaulting a teacher) is a reprehensible and ghastly act. It is unacceptable, and will not be condoned by the Ministry of Education” (Guyana Times, 10th February, 2023).
We, the people of this country, need to see more of this being done in order to send a serious message to violent parents and students.
We need to go back to the days when teachers were viewed as divine creatures, held in high esteem and regarded as the people whom we can say can truly help to create change and standards in our country.
Sincerely,
Hajji Dr. Roshan Khan
(Snr)
