The Ministry of Education has issued a statement on behalf of the principal of the Deighton Griffith Secondary School seeking to explain the school’s announced Gender Day which sparked a controversy after a school circular made the rounds on social media.

The statements says that the administration of the Deighton Griffith Secondary School has been made aware of concerns and what it calls “misunderstanding in the public domain following the circulation of a letter addressed and disseminated to parents and guardians of students attending the school.”

The statement notes that in the circulated letter, a “Gender Day” activity has been scheduled for Thursday, June 27th.

According to the statement, the activity in question is simply an extension of Gender Prayers where the boys assemble in one location and the girls in another.

It adds that in these sessions the students are engaged in discussions about a range of topics such as conduct, deportment, entrepreneurship, hygiene, motivation, nutrition, violence, or any matter that may raise its head from time to time to threaten the smooth functioning of the school.

The principal says the sessions will be facilitated by both in-house members of staff and external resource persons and ends by saying that the school administration hopes that explanation gives clarity to the intended activity.

He also offered an apology for any discomfort that may have resulted from what he calls the “misunderstanding.”