THE Education Ministry has ironed out a number of problems facing the New Amsterdam Multilateral School following an intense meeting with key stakeholders, including those sitting at the helm of the school’s administration.

In a statement released on Monday, the Ministry’s secretariat said “a decision was arrived at for the smooth administration of that institution and the improved performance of the school,” but officials have been tight-lipped on the matter, declining to give particulars of the decision.

According to the statement, the Education Ministry convened a meeting with the Regional Chairman, the Chairman of the Education Committee of Region Six; the Chairman of the School’s Board; the President of the Guyana Teachers’ Union; the Chief Education Officer and the Deputy Chief Education Officer, after the matter was brought to its attention.
The New Amsterdam Multilateral School has been plagued with a number of issues, including racial tension among teachers. Due to many problems facing both teachers and students, 12 teachers reportedly requested to be transferred.

Meanwhile, attempts to speak with the chair of School Boards’ Secretariat at the Ministry of Education proved futile. And, when the Region Six, Regional Chairman David Armogan was contacted, he said while the meeting was held, the Ministry has not communicated its decision to the region.

President of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU), Mark Lyte, when contacted by the Guyana Chronicle, declined to speak on the matter, saying that the Education Ministry could be contacted for further information. Countless efforts to reach the Chief Education Officer, Marcel Hutson also proved futile.

Last week, Orlando Fraser, a parent of a student of the New Amsterdam Multilateral School, in a letter to this newspaper said the image of the school has been tarnished by the poor quality of leadership. Fraser noted that the school had often been associated with academic excellence, it once ranked third in the country based on CXC and CAPE results, and was recognised both locally and regionally in the areas of Sports and Theatre Arts.

However, he said that under the current management there has been a drastic drop in student population (moving from over 900 students at one point to about 400 students presently); and an increase in the number of transfers requested by parents for students to other schools in the region; along with a drastic drop in results at the CXC and CAPE examinations.

Fraser lamented that the school has also been embroiled in many scandals involving issues related to pecuniary abnormalities and the recent issue of racism, which caused six teachers to request transfers. “The issues mentioned have inevitably eroded staff morale and affected their ability to deliver the curriculum to students who are in their care,” Fraser noted.

He said investigations have been done by Ministry of Education officials, as well as, by the Ministry of Social Cohesion. The findings from these investigations have highlighted poor quality of leadership by the HM and DHM (Ag), their inability to work together and how these factors have collectively affected the development of the school. In a point of fact, based on the findings from a recent investigation, an administrative transfer letter was issued to the DHM (ag) to take up a substantive post in another school.

“However, that transfer was countermanded by the Chief Education Officer and a directive was issued by him that the HM and DHM (Ag) continue to work together. This decision has left a corrosive taste in the mouths of many teachers and parents.

The decision by the CEO begs a very important question: if the HM and DHM (Ag) have failed to work together over the past five years for the continued development of the school, what makes the CEO think they will be able to do so now?” Fraser noted in his missive. He called for swift action be taken and that the HM and DHM (Ag) be removed from the school, so that it can once again live up to its motto of “Progress through Cooperation”.

It is time for change! In conclusion, I urge Ministry of Education officials to consider the importance of the phrase “No School Left Behind!” his letter concluded.