Dear Editor:
We noticed your article yesterday, “Education Ministry probing allegations of sexual assault at St. Joseph High,” (SN, Oct. 22, 2024) where it was mentioned that 6 boys sexually assaulted 2 boys and “homosexual slurs were hurled at them.”
Based on what was reported, the school should ensure these students face the full brunt of the law to send a strong message across our schools in Guyana that such behaviour will not be tolerated. Make them the poster child of what would happen when acts such as that are committed. The alleged perpetrators laughing when investigations were being conducted is arrogant and shows lack of remorse. It should not matter that the parents of the boys are donors to the school. They should be punished, and the public is watching how this is handled.
No child attending school should have to go through such traumatic experiences. Schools should be a refuge of safety and security. Safety is the number one priority of a school. When parents send children to schools they expect the school to be a nurturing place, and that school administrations have teachers on duty to monitor the bathrooms, and other areas of the campus to ensure student safety and security. In American schools, teachers are on the duty roster for different tasks to ensure students are always supervised. Teachers stand in hallways, outside of their doors monitoring students during breaks and lunch time, and at arrival and dismissal time. The Ministry and schools must implement such a monitoring system to keep all students safe. Monitoring duties are part of the duties of a teacher and “any other such duties assigned by the administrators and supervisors.” The Teachers Union is smart enough to support such a measure intended to maintain safe schools.
I have a relative who said at his school, bigger boys block younger students from going into the toilet unless they pay a toll of $100 or $200. His parents wanted to remove him from that school. I know schools do have anti-bullying programs, and these must be well implemented with proper sanctions for wrong doers. We must now add a duty schedule of teachers being assigned monitoring duties to keep school campuses safe and clean. Schools must consider security cameras around school campuses, and intercom systems to allow for effective and quick communication in schools. All new schools should have cameras and intercom while we retrofit the existing schools that don’t have.
Sincerely,
Dr. Jerry Jailall
Family Values Coalition
