Minister of Education Priya Manickchand has expressed that swift police action is needed in the case regarding the assault of a teacher attached to the Fort Wellington Secondary School, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice).
“Yesterday, not too long after he was beaten and as soon as I had heard, I spoke to teacher Marlon Daniels of the Fort Wellington Secondary to find out what had happened. Upon learning of the details I offered my and the Ministry’s full support,” Manickchand expressed on her social media page.
“There can be no reason offered that would be accepted as to why students or their relatives would beat a teacher. I expect the Guyana Police Force to act swiftly,” the Minister said.
Teachers at the institution took to the street in protests today amid the incident.
Reports are that the teacher had sent a student to the headteacher’s office for disrespectful behaviour.
However, the student would have left the school, after hurling threatening language towards the educators.
Sometime later, while Daniels was at a nearby printery, the student reportedly returned with a relative. Together with other students, they physically assaulted the teacher.
According to information reaching this publication, the relative restrained the teacher while the students beat him with a stick.
During the protest action, the teachers called for violence against them to end and for more stringent measures to be put in place for their protection.
In a statement on its Facebook page in relation to the matter, the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) said “the school environment is becoming unmanageable with students, parents, and guardians taking matters in their own hands based on school incidents. I call on the Guyana Police Force and Ministry of Education to take stern actions against these perpetrators. It is time we take back our schools.”
