–Education Minister clarifies display at West Ruimveldt Secondary was meant to engage parents on school safety

PARENTS are being urged to play a more active role in guiding and monitoring their children after a meeting at the West Ruimveldt Secondary School highlighted concerns about prohibited items being brought onto the school compound and broader issues of bullying and violence.
The call comes after a concerned parent who attended the meeting shared images on social media showing a table filled with items that had reportedly been taken from students over time. Among the items displayed were lighters, toy guns, knives of various types and other objects considered inappropriate for the school environment.
“Today I walked into my son’s school for a meeting. To my surprise, they had a table with items of all sizes taken from the students: lighters, toy guns, knives of all styles, and other items they should not have,” the parent wrote.
The parent said the display was eye-opening and highlighted the need for parents to pay closer attention to what their children may be carrying to school.
“I know my son can be a troublemaker at times, but after seeing all those items, I realise we as parents have a bigger problem than our children not settling on subjects or being a noisy nuisance,” the parent added.
The parent also questioned what steps can be taken collectively to prevent students from bringing weapons to school or harming their peers.
“My question is, how do we stop our children from taking their weapons to school or harming their peers?” the parent said.
Following the circulation of the images online, Education Minister Sonia Parag clarified in a Facebook post that no search exercise was conducted at the school.
According to the Minister, the school administration had independently organised the meeting with parents and students to address several issues affecting the school environment, including bullying and the possession of prohibited items.
Parag explained that the Headmistress displayed items that had been accumulated over several years as part of an effort to raise awareness among parents about what students may be bringing onto the school compound.
“The Headmistress made it clear that no search was conducted at the school today and that no officials from the Ministry of Education or ranks of the Guyana Police Force were involved in the exercise, contrary to the report by the News Room,” the Minister stated.
Parag also urged media entities to seek clarification from the relevant authorities when reporting on sensitive matters involving schools.
She further commended the Headmistress of the West Ruimveldt Secondary School for taking a proactive step to engage parents directly on the critical issues of bullying, student behaviour and the presence of prohibited items, noting that collaboration between schools and families is essential in addressing violence and maintaining safe learning environments.
The Ministry of Education, she added, continues to work with schools, parents and other stakeholders to ensure that school environments remain safe, supportive and conducive to learning for all students.