The Ministry of Education was accused by the Guyana Teachers’ Union of victimizing a pupil who was competing in the Region 6 National Children’s Mashramani Competition. The competitor from Fort Ordinance Primary School performed a calypso song in the six to five age group of the Calypso and Dramatic Poetry portion of the competition. The song highlighted the demands of teachers for higher pay and benefits, with the lyrics “tell me how we gon survive with six point five.”
According to reports, the student’s song was deemed “too political” and hence her disqualification and was not allowed to represent the region at the national level. Given that the student had already won the subregional competition in the same category, the GTU contended that this act disenfranchised the student. One teacher who worked with the students in preparation for the competition stated that this item was not politically driven and was written before the current GTU strike.
In response to these allegations, the Ministry of Education’s Allied Arts Unit this morning in an official Press Release highlighted excellence, respect, values, ethics, harmony, peace, and love, as the key components of the education process. The unit maintained that decisions are made in accordance with long-standing regulations, which particularly address whether certain things are appropriate for a given age group. Furthermore, they added that two items were disqualified and that the schools in question were informed of the judges’ justifications in a clear manner.
The Ministry of Education underscored that the Allied Arts Unit ensures content adheres to age-appropriate guidelines for competitions, upholding respect, civility, values, ethics, morality, and standards. Non-compliant pieces may face disqualification or rework opportunities, promoting fairness and adherence to competition rules.