Across Guyana, a crucial question is preoccupying education leaders, teachers and communities. What can help make a school feel safe?
For a student, it can mean knowing that an adult will listen without judgement. For a parent, it can mean being confident that the school will communicate openly and respond when something goes wrong. For a teacher, school or district leader, it can mean fostering a school environment where every student feels respected and supported in their learning journey.
Aware of this challenge, the Ministry of Education made this the theme of the 14 September launch of the Educational Leadership Community. This new Community of Practice (CoP) expands the reach of Guyana’s National Education Leadership Academy (NELA), creating a permanent online space for education leaders, teachers, parents and the wider education community to exchange and learn from each other.
Held virtually under the theme Leadership that Cares: Safer, More Inclusive Schools in Guyana, the launch brought together more than 240 participants from schools, parent representatives, education offices, and partner institutions.
Led by Guyana’s Ministry of Education, the CoP is supported by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), with the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP-UNESCO) as lead technical partner.
Caring for the safety and belonging of students is part of every leader’s work. The direction is set here, in Guyana, and our partners help us go further.
Mischka White-GriffithParliamentary Secretary and Chief Planning Officer, Ministry of Education, Guyana
A focus on school safety and belonging
Alongside international evidence and expertise, the launch included those who witness the realities of school safety and belonging.
For La Shanna Anderson, Regional Education Officer for Guyana’s Region 10, safer schools are built by stronger relationships and not rules alone. A sense of belonging starts when a child can say: “I am safe here, I’m respected here, I am supported here.
Joel Mcphoy, Senior Master at Queen’s College, described what that looks like from the front of a classroom, where a teacher remains approachable and does not immediately judge or shame a student who comes forward.
Nadia Hollingsworth, National Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) Coordinator, argued that trust between schools and families depends on clear, timely communication.
Abhivir Singh, Student Council President at Queen’s College, pushed this idea further. “Mutual respect isn’t built on token seats at the table. It’s grown where leaders trust students’ input as an indispensable driving force in school governance.”
Education specialists brought international evidence into that same conversation. Xavier Hospital, Team Leader for Safe and Healthy Schools and Data at UNESCO, presented a whole-school model spanning curriculum, school climate, reporting, policy, partnership, and data.
