Welfare officers certified to provide psychosocial support in schools

Some 35 Welfare Officers are now certified to provide psychosocial support to children in schools.
During a small ceremony at the Pegasus Hotel earlier this week, the Welfare Officers graduated from a European Union (EU) funded Gender Responsive Programme for Psychosocial Support to Children in Schools. This training programme was conducted through the Spotlight Initiative and implemented by UNICEF in partnership with the Ministry of Education and the Institute of Gender Studies, University of Guyana.
Education Specialist, Dr Olato Sam stated that the programme aids in paving the way to ensure students are supported. He noted that the last few years have not only highlighted the need to address the academic development of children but also devise strategies for addressing the physical, mental, emotional and psychosocial dimensions of students. As such, Dr Sam deemed the programme as timely, since it addresses these needs of children.
“Initiatives such as these underscored the importance of a collaborative approach to meeting their educational needs,” he noted.
Highlighting the fact that teachers are also often faced with challenges, he said that a collective approach is needed to create a learning focused culture to ensure all students and teachers receive the support they need to optimise their full potential.
Representative of the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to Guyana, Irfan Akhtar reiterated that it will improve children’s participation in the classrooms. He said UNICEF remains committed to providing the necessary support needed to ensure the needs of children are met.
In Guyana, the Spotlight Initiative aims to address the root causes of violence against women and girls with an emphasis on the prevention of family violence which includes sexual and gender-based violence, intimate partner violence, and school-based violence.
Guyana’s statistics show that one in two women would have experienced some level of violence in their lifetime. Fifty-five per cent of women, on the other hand, experienced such violence at some point in their lives.
Since psychological and sexual reproductive health issues can also develop as a result of violence perpetrated against women and girls, the “Spotlight Initiative” targets six different areas – law and policies, institutional strengthening, information, provision of services, data collection, and strengthening collaboration among all stakeholders.
Last December, the Ministry was also able to ink a Memorandum of Understanding with the Bar Association of Guyana, activating the Legal Pro Bono 500 initiative that will provide free legal aid to victims of gender-based violence.
The framework outlines their respective obligations and responsibilities to the Legal Pro Bono 500 Initiative and the Bar Association’s commitment to providing pro bono legal services to 500 gender-based violence victims.