In what can only be described as a disgraceful and deeply troubling abuse of authority, Minister of Education Priya Manickchand stands at the center of a growing firestorm after school children, in uniform, were photographed on a Sunday afternoon at the PPP’s political rally at Babu Jaan. The scene, which was proudly shared on the minister’s facebook page demonstrates a profound insensitivity, tone deafness and lack of respect for the nation’s children. This perfomance was eerily reminiscent of the PPP/C government’s previous use of the burned and traumatized Mahdia girls, survivors of the deadly dormitory fire, for a heartless, choreographed press conference.
This disturbing trend of exploiting children for political optics must be called out for what it is: state-sponsored manipulation wrapped in propaganda, using the nation’s most vulnerable citizens, its children, as pawns in a high-stakes game of public relations.
There is no grey area here. These are minors. They were clearly not attending an educational event or a government-sponsored civics lesson. This was a partisan political rally, and school-aged children were visibly present, some still in their government-issued uniforms, as if to erase any doubt that they were summoned under the guise, or pressure, of official approval.
Why were they there? Who authorized it? Why were children, on a Sunday, dragged out of their communities, transported to Babu Jaan, and placed in the frontlines of a rally filled with political speeches, partisan sloganeering, and chants that no child should be indoctrinated into?
If the goal was to create the illusion of widespread youth support for the PPP/C, then it was a pitiful and dangerous deception. Let us not forget the faces of the Mahdia girls, the burned, bandaged, broken survivors of one of the deadliest school tragedies in Guyana’s history, lined up and photographed for public relations just days after the fire, while the nation still mourned.
That tasteless spectacle was not a one-off—it was a sign of how far this government is willing to go to exploit grief, tragedy, and even children, for the sake of power and perception. Now, we see it again. This time, the tragedy is not fire, but the slow erosion of ethical governance and moral responsibility.
Where Is the Accountability? The Ministry of Education, headed by Minister Manickchand, must answer:
•Who authorized the use of public school children for a political event?
•Were parents informed? Did they consent?
•Were teachers or school administrators complicit, or coerced?
•Why were children in uniform used as part of this political display?
In addition to poor judgement, this is a violation of the trust placed in elected officials and educators alike. The use of children for partisan purposes, particularly in uniform, is unethical, unconscionable, and should be condemned by every right-thinking citizen.
Education is meant to empower young minds, not indoctrinate them into party politics. The classroom is not a campaign trail, and schoolchildren are not photo props for political rallies.
If the PPP/C government, under Minister Manickchand’s leadership, cannot distinguish between a student and a supporter, between a classroom and a campaign ground, then they have no business managing either.
