One of the striking observations from the recent exposure of the assault on a Venezuelan schoolgirl by five of her peers is that the usual ad hocery, now a hallmark of this and other administrations, has obviously been employed with regard to the influx of foreign children to the country and in our schools. It would appear that there has not been any thought given to their proper integration and well-being beyond finding educational institutions with the space, within which to place them. From all indications, Queenstown Secondary School is clearly one of the popular choices.
Well-documented research reveals that children crave stability and are adversely affected by transience. Some are socially, mentally and emotionally diminished if their parents move around a lot during their formative years and school life. They fail to make connections and become loners. Sometimes their education suffers as a result. Other children thrive in such situations, evolving with the new experiences. In some instances, the two extremes can exist in one family. Every child is an individual.
However, there are situations within which nearly every child will react the same. These are constantly swirling around us at the moment and are impossible to miss: wars, rumours of wars, and political upheaval or volatility. The most common reaction is fear (and let’s be honest, adults are often just as fearful), which can manifest in myriad ways. When children, who are always the most vulnerable in crisis situations, become refugees as a result of any of the circumstances listed above, they can experience enduring psychological trauma. Pile hostility, bullying and assault on top of that and try to imagine just how awful their lives become.
As was mentioned in this column on Sunday and very many times before, bullying in schools has reached epidemic proportions in this country. Mere observers, who are not privy to every report of harassment that reaches the Department of Education, not to mention those that don’t, can discern this. Therefore, the Ministry of Education cannot plead ignorance, or at least not to that fact. The question that arises then is what on earth those in authority imagined would occur when they placed newly minoritised children in what are clearly vicious environments?
It is common knowledge that Venezuelans are by far the largest refugee group in this country. They fled their country owing to economic and political instability. Unfortunately, the Venezuelan government chose this same precarious period – for obvious reasons – to go beyond ramping up its rhetoric and attempt to take a huge bite out of Guyana. Those children whose families moved here in search of a better life had no choice in the matter. They are surely not to be blamed for political decisions over which they had no control. The problem is that this has, undoubtedly, not been explained to their local peers.
If anyone were to take a poll at any of the schools where Venezuelan children are enrolled they would find that the local children: were likely not prepared to receive the Spanish speakers (possibly their teachers weren’t either); carry some level of suspicion; and retain hostility, but can’t really give a reason for it. This is a disaster waiting to happen. What was the Ministry of Education thinking?
According to Article 22 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which this country is a signatory, states should “take appropriate measures to ensure that a child who is seeking refugee status or who is considered a refugee… receives appropriate protection and humanitarian assistance in the enjoyment of applicable rights…” One of these “applicable rights”, as spelt out in Article 28 is recognising “the right of the child to education…” It does not differentiate between children’s nationality or status in the states that are parties to the convention. Perhaps, the powers that be should refamiliarise themselves with this instrument.
Indeed, the reality makes a mockery of the speech Minister of Labour Joseph Hamilton delivered at the Third Session of the Permanent Forum on Peoples of African Descent in Geneva, Switzerland last week. He was quoted as saying, in part, “In ensuring that this right is respected and promoted, we must ensure that changing realities do not negatively affect access to and the delivery of the quality of education.”
What is also unfortunate is that the education sector is missing a huge opportunity to widen the knowledge and use of Spanish, especially given President Irfaan Ali’s announcement last year making it compulsory in primary schools starting in September. Since the best way to learn a language is by speaking it, Spanish-English clubs in schools, where children learn from each other, could have enhanced that process as well as fostered integration. They still can.
This country, as well as the rest of the world for that matter, is at a critical juncture. Widely touted economic growth is uneven and unequal, particularly here. Climate change, political instability, conflicts, and food insecurity, threaten children’s rights at a time when it is crucial to protect them, while at the same time, teaching them to become effective and empathetic adults. It will take planning. It means letting go of ad hocism. It is not too late.