Lodge Secondary gets welfare intervention

̶ to combat truancy, absenteeism and lateness

DPI, Guyana, Tuesday, June 11, 2019

Hundreds of students aged 11-17 of the Lodge Secondary School are slated to benefit from educational and welfare interventions.

These interventions come on the heels of a meeting hosted on Monday, between Minister of Education Dr. Nicolette Henry and the School’s Welfare Unit to discuss a plan of action for Secondary Schools.

As the Ministry of Education continues its campaign to ensure improved academic performance the Welfare Department visited the school to address issues reported to the ministry, as affecting the school.

Chief School’s Welfare Officer, Glenna Vyphuis.

These issues include chronic lateness and absenteeism, which are major points of focus for the Ministry. The department is tackling these among other concerns that may arise during the intervention at the school.

Glenna Vyphuis, Chief School’s Welfare Officer explained that meaningful interventions will be made following a needs-based analysis.

“Based on our findings, then we will conduct further interventions and this will be interventions with the teachers, students and parents,” Vyphuis said.

Also present at the intervention to provide assistive psychosocial care to students was the ministry’s Psychosocial Unit.

Since its introduction in November the Unit has served all schools in the Woolford Avenue, Lodge, South Ruimveldt and Tucville catchment areas.

The mobile unit has also visited Region 6 to make several suicide interventions and to Region 3 to tackle issues based on reports of absenteeism at Leonora and Patentia Secondary Schools.

Vyphuis told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that the Welfare Department will contact parents and conduct home visits if necessary. She stressed that the department is working assiduously to help the students.

“We will talk to some of the staff members here and then we are going to tap in as to how we can intervene to help the children and the staff as a whole,” she added.

These interventions are among initiatives piloted by the Education Ministry to ensure all learners receive the best possible educational opportunities and to encourage wholesome learning and improved quality of life.

Image: Department of Public Information

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