The Ministry of Education is to draft a national policy to help learning institutions deal with crises and to employ permanent resources to address social issues in the school system in the aftermath of the Lusignan massacre.
According to a GINA release, to achieve this there will be a coordination of human resources regarding counselling activities by engaging teachers and key personnel in the Ministries of Education, Health and Human Services and Social Security in a three-day training in psycho-social support, post-traumatic stress and trauma counselling.
The immediate plan, however, is to lend support to the traumatized school population within the affected community and nearby villages to improve the attendance at schools and ensure that learning continues, while boosting the operations of health clinics and other facilities to ensure access to medical attention.
Meanwhile, Minister within the Ministry of Education, Dr Desrey Fox and a team comprising representatives from the Schools’ Welfare Department of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, the Red Cross, and the UNDP and UNICEF, conducted a fact-finding consultation with teachers of schools between Mon Repos and Bladen Hall on the East Coast Demerara to develop a structured strategy for psychosocial and other interventions in the schools whose pupils were directly affected by the Lusignan massacre.
Addressing the opening session Minister Fox outlined the purpose of the consultation and told teachers that while working with the affected pupils they would often have to function as social workers and mentors. This intervention was to assist them to fulfill this role.
Dr Fox noted that the students had been traumatized by the violence in society and the ministry decided on this intervention in light of the killings at Lusignan since it had left many with ‘broken spirits’. It is intended to help with the healing process of both teachers and students.
The consultation, she said, was intended to gather information on the present needs of children and teachers in the aftermath of the massacre and highlight issues that affect the communities.
The group, GINA said, was further divided into eight groups to discuss the types of stress-related problems facing the students and recommend ways that the interventions could be made through the school system since the Ministry of Human Services was already working with the families on the ground.
The types of stress-related behaviour being exhibited included fear of being left alone, shock, nightmares, loss of appetite, lack of concentration and anxiety.
The teachers acknowledged that there were persons in the communities who can assist with counselling, but professional assistance would be needed.
Some teachers said that they were also traumatized since they lived in these areas and were affected by the violence. They said further that it was sometimes difficult for them to offer counselling when they were also suffering.
Safe places for counselling sessions were available in some communities but not in others so efforts would have to be made to identify a suitable area.
Suggestions were also made for the frequency of sessions which will be finalised at the three-day workshop.
Since the January 26 massacre which saw five children among the eleven persons killed by gunmen who stormed Lusignan, several initiatives have been undertaken by government to ensure that villagers feel safe, GINA stated. These include additional Joint Services patrols in the area.
