RESPONSE TO THE ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN GUYANA TIME “PARENTS RAISE ALARM OVER ALLEGED TUITION DEMANDS, CORPORAL PUNISHMENT AT ROSIGNOL PRIMARY SCHOOL”

The Guyana Teachers’ Union strongly rejects the misleading and fallacious article published by Guyana Times on January 9, 2026, regarding allegations of corporal punishment against a teacher of Rosignol Primary School.

On November 16, 2025, the teacher in question reached out to the Union after being informed of an investigation into these allegations. The following day, officers of the Department of Education, along with members of the Union’s executive, conducted an inquiry. Parents of the class pupils were invited and overwhelmingly praised the teacher for her dedication, noting that she consistently goes above and beyond for her pupils—engaging parents, assisting pupils even outside school hours and maintaining open communication.

During the inquiry, the welfare officer also spoke directly with the pupilss, who expressed their love and respect for their teacher. Importantly, all 25 pupils in the class confirmed that at no time had the teacher struck any child. There was no evidence of marks of violence, nor any indication of misconduct.

The parent who made the allegation failed to attend the investigation, despite being contacted by officials. After initially agreeing to come, the parent later refused, claiming she had “people higher up” handling the matter. If the parent had genuinely sought resolution, she would have made every effort to participate in the inquiry.

The Union emphasizes that the claims of pupilts being flogged or chased from the classroom are mischievous, slanderous and without merit. Neither the head teacher nor any staff member had prior knowledge of such allegations until they appeared in the article.

This parent’s behavior has been a longstanding issue. Since the child entered Rosignol Primary, teachers across multiple grades have faced repeated false accusations. Most recently, on January 8, 2026, the parent reported the child missing during the lunch break, prompting a search involving teachers, police officers and the parents themselves. Minutes later, the child was found safely at home.

Teachers have endured ongoing threats from this parent, who is also an officer of the Guyana Police Force. It is unacceptable that one individual should be allowed to disrupt the lives of over 500 pupils and staff members.

The Guyana Teachers’ Union calls on the Ministry of Education to urgently address this matter. Our nation’s children should not suffer because of falsified claims and baseless allegations. Teachers deserve protection and respect as they continue their vital role in shaping the future of Guyana.