Parents must take greater role in tackling school indiscipline – Parag

Education Minister Sonia Parag on Tuesday underscored the importance of strong and active Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) in addressing challenges within the school system and improving the overall delivery of education.
The Minister made the remarks during an engagement with parents, teachers, and guardians of learners from several schools across the West Coast of Berbice on Tuesday at Lachmansingh Primary School.
The meeting is part of a national initiative spearheaded by the Education Minister to strengthen collaboration between homes and schools, encourage greater parental involvement and promote a safer and more supportive learning environment for children.
Parag was accompanied by a technical team from the Ministry, including Chief Education Officer Saddam Hussain; Deputy Chief Education Officer (Administration) Tiffany Harvey; Assistant Chief Education Officer (Secondary) Sherwyn Blackman; Assistant Chief Education Officer (Nursery) Devendra Persaud; Assistant Chief Education Officer (Primary Literacy) Stembiso Grant; Assistant Chief Education Officer (Special Education Needs) Dr Keon Cheong; Head of the Unit of Allied Arts Fraser; and Head of the Ministry’s School Health Unit Jessica Anthony.
In her address, she emphasised that PTAs must play an active role not only in supporting students’ academic development but also in addressing pressing social issues affecting schools, including violence, bullying and vaping.
“We are all part of this education ecosystem, so if we don’t engage and work together, it is our children who will be affected, and we absolutely cannot have that,” the Minister warned, according to a statement from the Ministry of Education (MOE).

Over 1000 recommendations
She reminded attendees that since the launch of the Ministry’s anti-bullying and anti-violence campaign last year, public consultations have been conducted across all regions, attracting over 1000 recommendations.
Those recommendations are currently being reviewed by a multi-Ministry task force, which is expected to develop standard operating procedures for addressing incidents of physical aggression, verbal abuse, peer exclusion, substance use and online harassment within the school environment.
The Ministry is also engaging the Legal Affairs Ministry and the Attorney General’s Chambers on the possibility of introducing legislation to address these issues in schools.
Parag further highlighted the introduction of Moral and Civic Education as standalone subjects in schools, aimed at instilling values such as kindness, courage, respect and good manners among learners while encouraging personal responsibility and positive behaviour.

Behavioural patterns begin at home
Turning her attention to parental responsibility, the Minister stressed that a child’s behavioural patterns begin at home and that parents must be conscious of the example they set for their children.
Reflecting on her own experience as a parent, she challenged those gathered to examine how much meaningful attention they give their children.
“How many of us engage with our children without being distracted by a phone? Look around you and see the hands that are raised. Now, does it mean that you’re a bad mother or a bad father? No, it doesn’t… But the point is this, while you’re doing that, you’re responsible for another life,” Minister Parag shared.
She also made it clear that the Ministry would maintain a firm position on discipline and respect for authority within schools, assuring educators that they would receive the Ministry’s support.
“If any child hits a teacher or attempts to hit a teacher, that child will be expelled. Because there is a reason why you have rules and regulations. There is a reason why there’s authority, and something called authority,” she stated.

Firmer disciplinary measures
During the engagement, parents expressed appreciation for the Minister’s efforts to strengthen the relationship between parents and teachers.
There was also strong consensus among attendees on the need for firmer disciplinary measures to address misconduct among learners. Parents called on fellow guardians to take greater responsibility for their children’s upbringing, emphasising that discipline, respect and good values must first be instilled at home.
Meanwhile, Parag outlined several Government initiatives designed to ease the financial burden on families and provide additional support for children’s education.
These include the national cash grant distributions, literacy assessments for pupils in Grades Two and Four to identify learning gaps at an early stage, and the Guyana Digital School platform.
The platform provides live and recorded lessons across 20 grades at no cost, offering learners additional academic support and reducing parents’ reliance on paid private lessons.
The Minister also announced that the Ministry would officially launch the digitalisation of the national driver’s licence theory examination this week, with the test being integrated into the Guyana Digital School platform.
From Friday, members of the public will be able to access the platform, make payments through MMG and complete the examination electronically. The initiative is intended to modernise the examination process while improving transparency, accountability and accessibility.