Parents of children at the Enmore Primary School yesterday agreed to keep them away from the school for two days from today, in an effort to force authorities to effect urgent repairs to the school’s toilets which have been non-functional for several years.
Reports reaching Stabroek News yesterday indicated that the large turnout of parents at the emergency meeting called yesterday voted unanimously to keep their children away from school as part of protest action since they are fed-up with the current situation.
According to reports, representatives from the regional education office were present at the meeting as well as the school’s welfare officer.
Parents said they became upset when the regional officer responsible for primary schools indicated that she had never received reports about the school’s toilets. But according to parents, letters had been written to the Regional Education Officer (REdO) who later stated that the letters were forwarded to the Regional Executive Officer (REO).
Stabroek News was told that the school does not need new toilets but the plumbing needs to be fixed and running water set up so the toilets can be flushed.
As it is right now the bowls are filled and children are sometimes forced to relieve themselves in the school compound while some call their parents to take them home.
Teachers leave the school to go home to use their toilets while some children ask nearby residents to use their toilets. Parents said during the recent flood waters their children were exposed to diseases as the toilets were also flooded.
The school’s main stairway was also an issue as according to parents it is shaking and is unsafe for the students to use it.
Meanwhile, the issue of a teacher assaulting a child at the school was also discussed and the education officials indicated that the matter was being investigated.
Priya Hansraj had told Stabroek News that her child was passing a classroom and overheard two teachers arguing over a blackboard and he stopped and looked on, much to the annoyance of the male teachers. One of them approached him and held him by the collar of his shirt before slamming him into a window and telling him not to “piss him off.” The woman said that the same teacher had assaulted her other son last December. She said that she got very angry when she got no satisfaction from the school after complaining about the teacher’s conduct. This forced her to report the matter to the Enmore Police Station and a statement has since been taken from the teacher.
Yesterday the headmistress at the meeting stated that she had spoken to the teacher but Hansraj said that was not enough as her son is very traumatised. The teachers were reminded by the ministry officials of the manual that was sent to all schools stipulating, according to the laws of Guyana, that corporal punishment should only be administered in the presence of the head teacher or by the head teacher. Parents have spoken about their children routinely being beaten by teachers.
The issue of teachers’ absenteeism was also raised at the meeting and according to some parents, teachers are often absent from classes and their children are suffering as they are not being taught.
Meanwhile, one teacher was upbraided by a ministry official for reportedly laughing at a parent when she was speaking out on an issue. The teacher’s name was also recorded by the official. At the meeting parents were also asked to implore their children to respect school property and not to litter the compound.