THE teachers who were involved in the flogging of two female students from the Awarewanau Primary School and a school in Deep South Rupununi, Region 9 (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo) have already been charged by the Teaching Service Commission and action is expected to be taken soon. This was according to the Chief Education Officer, Mr. Olato Sam, who told this publication that investigations have long been completed as the teachers were sent on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. However, subsequent action is yet to be recommended by the Commission.

The teachers were already involved in court proceedings which prevented the Ministry of Education from taking any action. Sam said once the matter is fully resolved by the commission, the ministry will take steps to conduct internal investigations.
A video clip was first posted on Facebook about a month ago and clearly showed two female students who were stripped and whipped, while being restrained, as their classmates looked on. The girls appeared to be around 13 and 15 years old. They were beaten with a “cow skin belt” and as a result, were hospitalised.
With the advent of the new Administration, Sam is hoping that the Corporal Punishment Act will be fully enforced throughout Guyana as it is high on their agenda. Education Minister, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine had recently declared that the abolition of corporal punishment in the nation’s schools is high on his agenda.
“The environment cannot be a learning one if the problem of corporal punishment persists,” asserted Dr. Roopnaraine in a recent interview.
Corporal punishment, the minister posited, serves only as a demonstration of psychological scarring; additionally, he asserted that it is time classrooms are transformed into ideal places of learning.
He said that he intends to do whatever he could to adjust the relevant legislation and will, with every fibre of his being, strive to eradicate this problem from schools.
The Ministry of Education in 2007 had conducted a survey on the use of corporal punishment in schools. The survey had revealed that 53% of schools use corporal punishment as a means of maintaining discipline.
Article 37 of the Rights of Children (ROC) in Guyana dictates that “No child should be subject to torture or other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment.”