School violence condemned, as Ministry probing cases at New Campbellville Secondary

The Education Ministry’s Education Department in Georgetown has embarked on a series of actions to address the undisciplined behaviour of students at New Campbellville Secondary School, following recent reports of school violence among its students.
On September 9, a video circulated on social media showing a 12-year-old female student being hit on her body by a classmate.
Similarly, on September 15, the Education Ministry received reports of a fight between two male students at the secondary school, in which the associated social media video showed one of the students being kicked and stomped on his head by the other.

“Investigations into both cases were conducted and parents of all the students involved were engaged,” the Ministry’s statement on Thursday stated.
“The Ministry of Education has provided support to the parents of the injured students, this includes ensuring that they underwent medical examinations,” the statement added.
Following the meetings, students who were found to be in breach of the Ministry’s policy on the Maintenance of Order and Discipline in school were sanctioned in keeping with the said policy document which includes expulsion, suspension and mandatory psychosocial counselling.
The Ministry has reiterated its disapproval of any form of violence within schools and reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that students could learn in a safe and conducive environment.
In that regard, the Ministry will continue its sensitisation campaigns in schools on issues relating to bullying and any other forms of indiscipline.
Earlier this month, Education Minister Priya Manickchand had disclosed that the Ministry’s Advisor and former Chief Education Officer, Olato Sam was working on the framework of a new policy to address violence in schools.
Since his passing in August, Manickchand said that the Ministry is now looking to put together components of the policy, based on what Sam would have presented.
The policy seeks to not only address cases of school violence when they do occur, but to prevent these instances by developing an approach to identify children who may be more vulnerable to performing acts of violence or being on the receiving end of them.
This comes after several notable instances of school violence, involving not only students but also educators.
In March, relatives of a student were charged for assaulting a teacher of the Fort Wellington Secondary School, West Coast Berbice.
The Ministry had declared that it would take all appropriate actions to ensure that all teachers continue to work in a safe and secured environment.
Such actions include prohibiting violent parents or guardians from having access to the school premises, transferring any learner out of a school whose parents commit acts of violence on teachers or any other sanction deemed necessary, while encouraging the Police or any other institution or authority to take whatever action the law prescribes.