GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – On Tuesday, several teachers at a secondary school staged a protest demanding “justice” after one of them was allegedly assaulted by several students and a parent.
The teachers, backed by the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU), held placards indicating that they needed justice, and the GTU called on the Ministry of Education to address violence against teachers.
GTU President Mark Lyte, in a Facebook post, said no one had been charged with wounding the teacher on duty, and no one from the Department of Education went to the school. However, that administrative office is located close.
“When the HM called the Department to inform that teachers were going to be protesting because they felt as though they were left on their own, nobody cared, nobody intervened to see how traumatized our teachers were but to be told that our teachers cannot protest,” he said.
The teachers with placards that read “We need justice,” “We need justice,” “I need justice,” Enough is enough” also claimed that “there is no discipline in schools anymore” and that “student violence against teachers has become a norm and that’s not okay.
“Teachers are not punching bags” and “No justice, no teaching,” the placards read, also calling for the student to be expelled due to the assault of the teacher.
Police said a student was contacted and released into the care of his parents, and three adults were arrested. The teacher obtained a medical certificate and has since submitted that to the police.
The union claims that at least 12 teachers have been assaulted this year and that the Ministry of Education has taken no action.
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