Georgetown: The Ministry of Education strongly denounces the recent actions by some small pockets of persons to disrupt the functioning of schools by illegally protesting and behaving in other unhealthy and unwholesome ways.
The Ministry is referring specifically to two new features that were introduced into complaints over the last week and a half; One, the locking of school gates and compounds as a form of protest and two, the usage of children during school hours as protesters.
Recognition of Rights
The Ministry embraces and encourages the principle that children must be seen and heard. Further, the Ministry recognises the right of every citizen, young or old, not to be hindered in the enjoyment in his or her freedom of assembly, association and freedom to demonstrate peacefully, that is to say, his or her right to assemble freely, to demonstrate peacefully and to associate with other persons.
The Ministry however wishes to remind all persons including political activists and their bosses that in exercising the above rights they must not interfere with public order and/or hinder the rights and freedoms of other persons.
The Ministry of Education will continue to teach our children and others about these sacred rights and responsibilities that are enshrined in our Supreme Law, the Constitution of Guyana. We will continue to teach that the rights of all, those who wish to protest and those who do not, must always be preserved and indeed that the people of Guyana have a duty to preserve same.
The Right Thing To Do
It may seem trite to indicate that the best and right thing for persons who wish to complain about or are concerned with any issue is to first seek to resolve same in an organised manner. If one were truly interested in a solution (as distinct from being seen and/or being politically antagonistic) before one takes to placards, it would be wise to first seek an intervention or solution from the appropriate authority. Best practice dictates that protest be used as a last resort rather than as the first way to bring attention to a problem, whether real or perceived.
The Ministry was astonished and deeply concerned when it was told by the executive body of the Parent Teacher’s Aassociation (PTA) of the Parika/Salem Primary School, (a school where a small group of parents and an APNU Member of Parliament locked the school gates and used very small children to hold placards), that it NEVER even attempted to meet the Regional Officials, Ministry officials or anyone else about any of the issues that they thought affected their children prior to mounting the protest.
There are numerous established ways and means existing to allow for healthy engagements in order to address issues that touch and concern our schools and school children. The first place to begin would be the school’s administration, that is to say the head teacher, deputy head teacher etc, the local Education Departments, the Ministry of Education, the Chief Education Officer, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education and the Minister of Education. Additionally, the Ministry has established hotlines, open social media eg Facebook and twitter, and soon a website that will allow for persons to engage on issues of concern to them and specifically for persons to lodge complaints and to receive feedback. Interested and relevant persons have a responsibility to inform themselves of these various means of engaging.
Action That Will Be Taken
Having regard to the above and to the paramount principle guiding the Ministry of Education in its service to Guyana and her children that every action taken must be in the best interest of the children .
The Ministry wishes to make it absolutely clear that it will not tolerate:
1.The locking of school gates as a form or part of protests
2. The utilisation of school premises as a location of protests
3. Threatening and traumatising teachers, parents and students as a means of forcing their involvement in illegal, unconstitutional activities.
4. Exploition of children during school hours by utilising them to hold placards, congregating on the roadways, shouting unwholesome slogans etc
The Ministry of Education is working with the Guyana Police Force to ensure that any school compound that is locked will be opened immediately and those responsible for locking same will be dealt with condignly by the law. The Ministry will also treat condignly with parents who keep their children away from instruction to be used at protests.
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