Houston Secondary School teacher says she was attacked first

Kimone Gentle, the teacher at the center of an altercation that occurred at the Houston Secondary school on Thursday said she was “attacked” and is calling for a better relationship between teachers, parents and students.

“…I want to say is that this thing has become the new COVID and as an educator, I would like to see a better relationship between teachers, parents and students, so we can work on what we are being paid to do which is to educate the charges in our care,” Gentle told members of the media outside the Ruimveldt police station, where she was detained on Thursday afternoon.

Noting that she was advised by her lawyer not to go into details of the altercation, Gentle clearly noted, “I was attacked” by a parent and student of the school.

“I don’t want to go into details…What is on the internet is already there…I was attacked…by a parent and student of Houston Secondary school,” she said.

Recently, there have been a number of incidents involving parents and teachers at schools across the country. In some of them, injuries were inflicted.

And, to address, the situation, the President of the Guyana Teachers Union, Mark Lyte, is calling for a reform of the legislation which governs the education system as part of efforts to address the situation.

“It is really bothersome and worrying on our part as the teacher representative body…The aggression has got to stop and we have got to find amicable ways to resolve our issues,” Lyte, who was present at the police station told members of the media.

“…It is a different time and the issues that we see arising now, it is a lot of aggression…the aggression and the violence and the level of abuse has got to stop.”

Reports are that a scuffle ensued between a parent and the teacher. It is unclear what might have caused the altercation.

In a video seen by the News Room, a group of persons are seen pulling and tugging. At the center of it is a student of the school who is believed to be the subject of the altercation.

In another video, the teacher, who was armed with a cutlass, is seen walking around the school compound.

“Miss Gentle, Miss Gentle. Come on man…Miss Gentle stop nah man. Oh God bai,” an individual was heard pleading with the teacher.