By| Marvin Cato | HGP Nightly News|
MAHAICONY, GUYANA — The Ministry of Education has wrapped up a sweeping countrywide engagement campaign, collecting more than 1,000 formal recommendations aimed at shaping a new, comprehensive Anti-Bullying and Anti-Violence Policy for schools.
The final public forum was hosted on June 9, 2026, at the Mahaicony Technical and Vocational Training Centre in Region 5 (Mahaica-Berbice). Core ideas submitted throughout the national campaign advocate for structural changes, including the establishment of school-based anti-bullying clubs, the nurturing of peer advocates, expanded student counseling services, and stricter, standardized disciplinary measures.
During the Region 5 session, parents emphasized the need for community-led, after-school programs designed to foster sportsmanship and camaraderie as a proactive defense against hostile behaviors.
Minister of Education Sonia Parag assured attendees that every recommendation collected across all ten administrative regions will be meticulously compiled and evaluated by a dedicated multi-agency task force. This task force will include representatives from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security. The most impactful suggestions will be woven into a unified policy establishing clear, standardized consequences for violent actions perpetrated by either students or educators.
“What has happened between that time and now is that we have had consultations in all of the 10 administrative regions,” Minister Parag noted, highlighting the democratic scope of the feedback process. “This particular consultation and the wrap-up will lead us to use those recommendations and those suggestions with the various ministries and agencies.”
Minister Parag clarified that the forthcoming regulatory framework will address traditional forms of bullying alongside modern digital harassment. She raised concerns regarding how toxic behaviors have adapted to the digital age, noting that children are highly susceptible to negative online influences when left without proper parental oversight.
To support the policy’s rollout, the Ministry of Education will launch advanced, specialized training for school guidance counselors starting this September. Parallel efforts are underway to enforce stricter physical supervision within school corridors and guarantee that all behavioral infractions are reported to the Ministry in a swift, timely manner.
Furthermore, the Minister expressed optimism about integrating specialized social interventions, highlighting the newly introduced presidential Prison Avoidance Programme, which is designed to reorient at-risk youth and teach them how to be constructive members of society.
Addressing school violence cannot be a “one-man show,” Parag insisted, calling on families to critically evaluate how they model behavior within the household.
“No child is born bad,” the Education Minister stated, emphasizing that children instead “sponge up and adopt behavioral patterns they see at home.”
Following the conclusion of the Region 5 interactive floor segment, which allowed local teachers, students, and residents to directly voice their concerns, Minister Parag stated that once the institutional policy is successfully implemented, her ministry intends to push for corresponding national legislation to permanently codify these school safety standards into law.
