Education Ministry to soon make pronouncement

NA school issues

The Education Ministry will soon make a pronouncement on how it plans to proceed with handling the issues at the New Amsterdam Multilateral School (NAMS).
Amid ongoing controversy at the NAMS, the Education Ministry, along with regional officials, has moved to intervene and resolve the issues that have been plaguing the institution.
It was reported that during the course of last week, the Education Ministry convened a meeting of top regional and education officials to discuss the recent issues at the school which were reported in the media. Among the issues reported by the media is the fact that 12 teachers have requested transfers from the institution following several disputes over the management of the school. Another issue was the ongoing dispute between senior and junior teachers.
In a press statement on Monday, the Education Ministry stated that a decision was arrived at for the smooth administration and improved performance of the school. A source told <<<Guyana Times>>> that while a decision has been made, the relevant officials are awaiting the Education Ministry’s go-ahead before the resolution is officially publicised.
This newspaper had previously reported that the headmistress (HM) and deputy headmistress (DHM) of the school were at loggerheads, which quickly turned into racial tension. One of the two was regarded as “untouchable”, making individual decisions on behalf of the school without consultations. It was also reported that even after a transfer was approved for the controversial teacher in November of last year, the issues continued owing to that transfer being rescinded. This move was the last straw for parents, who became extremely vocal in the media. Subsequently, 12 teachers had requested transfers out of the school; however, these transfer requests were ignored by the relevant authorities. In January of this year, the parents and teachers moved to hold a Parent-Teachers Association (PTA) meeting with the topic of discussion being ‘racial tension and transfers’. As a result of the bickering at the institution, an alarming number of parents have been transferring and requesting transfers for their children.
It was after the matter was reported in the media, officials from the Education Ministry met with all the parties to arrive at an amicable solution.