Good Hope parents register corporal punishment concerns

Parents who have children attending the Good Hope Primary School in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) are calling on the Education Ministry to thoroughly investigate why children are constantly flogged by a particular teacher at the school.
Parents who spoke with this newspaper said that they believe other disciplinary action could be taken instead of enforcing corporal punishment.
They have noted their concerns, and this complaint was forwarded to the Regional Education Officer, Baramadai Seepersaud. According to one parent, Anil Singh, his daughter was whipped on her name on Tuesday by her teacher (name withheld) because the school’s compound was not cleaned satisfactorily.
The father said his daughter was whipped by the Grade Five teacher several times previously and she sustained blisters and cuts to her hand. The father related that the child could not attend school on Wednesday because she was in immense pain.
Singh took his daughter to the Headmistress and the Regional Education Officer to report the issue. He said his child was not the only one whipped and described the action as unfair. Upon enquiries being made, it was revealed that all the Grade Five pupils were whipped Tuesday because the yard was not cleaned. The parent said that he was concerned and it was not the first time his child was complaining about punishment at the school.
Parents are, therefore, calling on the Education Ministry to launch an investigation into the matter as corporal punishment continues to exist in the school system and children are suffering. In the past, parents said they were too scared to speak out, because they were afraid that their children would be victimised.
During a recent interview with the local media, President David Granger noted that Guyana needed to remove all forms of corporal punishment from the school and in the home.
The Education Ministry’s guideline notes that the use of corporal punishment in schools was a last resort, which must be sanctioned by the headteacher.