Dear Editor.
In the country where I am living, I am not afforded the unlimited pleasure of reading the daily newspapers of Guyana. Here in Willow Dale, Ontario, time does not permit, so I will get the tail end of news from any of the many social media forums while commuting by train or when I am resting.
I scanned the letters reported by your newspaper and others on the incident at Canje Secondary School which involves the alleged pushing over of a student on the stairway of the school and was quite astonished at their contents.
The writer apparently has a lot of time and, in my view, can be regarded as a chatterbox. My friends and workmates make a big deal of issues similar to this; hence, I was forced to read all the articles and the editorial that dealt with the issue.
Editor, if what was reported is the truth then the education sector is in peril. Here in Willow Dale, Ontario, the head teacher would have been sacked or would have done the decent thing by submitting a resignation. The superintendent of education would have given a report. As a matter of fact, the reporters would have flocked the school and demanded such. Parents would have been calling for her head. Students would have spoken without fear or reprieve. But in Guyana in the year 2016, we can still get away with murder.
I am in sympathy with the parents because of the nature of the incident. Imagine being given fabricated information that hinges upon life and death of your beloved child.
The cries of the parents lie solely on the shoulders of the head teacher and she is the one who is to be blamed. She is ultimately responsible and the buck stops at her desk .She seems to be oblivious to the suffering of the parents, the injured student and the concerns of her teachers, particularly the juniors. Perhaps her mandate is not to teach but to preach.
I will now turn my attention to the “concerned parent” and member of the community who wrote the articles. I think that you were a little harsh in your remarks about the doggish attitude of the head.
I will proceed even further to say that you are not really a concerned parent, since you only encountered the head teacher twice. What a shame. If you are so concerned, why haven’t you provided your technical advice on the issue? I am sure that the head would have listened to you .I guess you were afraid that she will bite. Please don’t go on with this charade of garbled information.
I thought that since the previous Government was in power, the debate on corporal punishment was on the table. How can the head teacher allow a female head of department to slap a male child? I don’t want to sound like a sexist, but what would have happened if a male teacher had slapped a female child. I hope that teacher is no longer in the profession.
What about the male teacher (the third in charge as the article reported) who regularly loses his mind and chokes students. This is tantamount to insanity.
I, of all persons, understand the nature of children because I was a nurse practising in Guyana. I am also the parent of a former student of the said school.
Corporal punishment when inflicted on students is carried over to adulthood .The child can very well become aggressive .In this country when nurses are placed in schools, we are told that slapping a child can even affect them mentally.
What can possibly cause a teacher to slap a child? Domestic problems maybe. Does that teacher have children of her own? God help them if she does. What can cause a male teacher to choke a child? If he has kids, then God help those as well. These forms of aggression by teachers in a developed country in the West lead to immediate dismissal. It should be known that our behaviour with other children can easily affect our children.
I happened to know some of the teachers at the school.
I recall one incident in which the religious teacher, Mr Carl, brought a group of males to the hospital. One was critically injured and two were unconscious. I was on duty that day. The teacher’s clothing was stained with blood. Can you imagine that scenario? The teacher took it upon himself to render assistance by taking the injured to the hospital and in the process soiling his clothes. He would purchase textbooks for the students to use. I can vouch that he assisted me in paying the dues for my child to sit the CXC exams.
The other teachers whom I know personally would provide lunch on numerous occasions for the needy kids at the school, and offer financial help to CSEC students, even provide footwear and uniforms to students.
They were mentors and parents for the students of the school.
I am absolutely certain that all the teachers in Canje Secondary School pooled some of their finances to give to the injured student. It is unimaginable that any of them would withhold. I am sure that all of them in their quiet moments would say a prayer for him.
I don’t know the present head nor some of the staff. Perhaps they are just maturing in their new administrative positions, but time would tell. I wish them luck.
Concerned parent, please give the teachers a break. Some of them are working hard. They don’t deserve all this attention in a negative manner.
Respectfully yours,
Sasha France
