– says Rights of the Child Commission

IN keeping with its mandate of protecting the rights and interest of children, the Rights of the Child Commission (RCC) will be engaging teachers and headteachers on issues regarding the treatment of children, especially as it relates to cases of suspension and expulsion.

This was disclosed by RCC Deputy Chairperson Rosemary Benjamin-Noble, when she handed over the 2017 and 2018 RCC reports to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, last week at the Public Buildings, Brickdam, Georgetown.

According to Benjamin-Noble, the RCC in its investigations over the year discovered that some level of public education is needed in the education sector as it relates to the suspension and expulsion of children from schools.

“We have found also in various communities that some of the schools need to be more conscious because we have found sometimes in complaints that we received, the principals for instance are not as conscious of the rights of the child and therefore make [incorrect] decisions in relation to children.

“We’ve had complaints in relation to suspension, expulsion of a child from school, but the Convention on the Rights of a Child does not allow this,” Benjamin-Noble said.

Article 28 (1) of the Convention on the Rights of a Child notes: “States Parties recognise the right of the child to education, and with a view to achieving this right progressively and on the basis of equal opportunity.”

MUST BE INTEGRATED
According to Benjamin-Noble, while the RCC will be implementing systems to facilitate this type of public education to leadership of the schools, the commission believes that training should be integrated for headteachers and teachers of all schools.

“We have found that we have to engage the principals, the leadership of the schools a bit more, but this should not be left only to us, but it’s something that should be a part of the curriculum or part of the management training, perhaps of the leadership of the schools and the teachers of the schools,” she stated.

LEGISLATIVE CHANGES
She further indicated that the RCC has made recommendations to Parliament for legislative changes as they relate to sexual offences meted out against children.

The recommendations were made in the reports that were given to the Speaker of the National Assembly.

The reports are expected to be tabled at the next sitting of the 12th Parliament and its contents disclosed for public consumption.