Even as the Mae’s Private School denies any act of discrimination, the Ministry of Education has reached out to a number of stakeholders to address the issue where a young boy was humiliated for wearing for an outfit depicting the cultural wear of Indigenous people.
Minister of Education, Nicolette Henry and the Chief Education Officer Marcel Hutson are currently in discussions with stakeholders to address the issue which has already attracted widespread criticism.
Minister of Indigenous People’s Affairs Sydney Allicock Wednesday condemned the actions of the school and called for everyone to be more respectful of each other’s culture.
“It is something I would not have expected since we are embarking upon social cohesion and unifying of the country. We should be more understanding and more respectful for the citizens of this country,” the Minister stated.
Minister Allicock said the Ministry of Education has already taken a lead role in addressing the matter.
News Room understands that the Ministry of Social Protection is also involved.
A group of concerned citizens, including the child’s mother, have already staged a picketing exercise outside of the private educational institution and condemned the actions of the administration.
Excited about his first culture day, the nine-year-old boy was clad in a traditional indigenous outfit but was told by teachers that he was inappropriately dressed because his chest was exposed.
The child’s mother said her son was humiliated by other students after teachers announced that he was inappropriately dressed.
But the school in a statement denied that it discriminated against the child and his outfit.
The statement noted the child was still allowed in the school even though the dress code advised that t-shirts, vests and tights must be worn.
The school noted too that the child was supposed to dress as a Portuguese, not an Amerindian.
Mae’s nonetheless called for a clear-cut national policy for schools when it comes to celebrating culture day, especially in today’s modern climate where gender equality is being heavily promoted in schools.
According to the statement, this incident lends itself to a larger discussion amongst schools and government entities about what truly is the acceptable social standard in an evolving country.
