Dear Editor,
Responding to the Stabroek News article on Sunday 11th February, 2007 headlined “Student Gangs at Wisburg involved in violence”, I wish to firmly indicate that Ms. Cathy Wilson did not contact the Head of the School to solicit any information for the said article.
When deviant behaviours are exhibited in and out of school, students are suspended and usually returned to school with their parents and cautioned before returning to class. Not all deviant behaviours are reported but once the school is informed action is taken. We also depend on the community to report deviant behaviours, because of the school’s physical environment.
After reading the article, I did my own internal investigation to determine if there was any truth or what level of truth in relation to the allegations made. What I have discovered is that there are no gangs in the school. However, as is expected as a normal behaviour in any school, students will have friends. It is also obvious that if a student has a difference with another student their friends may want to come to their assistance, but this is not the same as being in a gang.
In section three the latter part of the first paragraph states that a student has been stabbed and was taken to the Linden Hospital Complex. At no time at all was there any incident where any student had to get medical attention as reported in the article.
It is good to know that parents are concerned about behaviour of students, which is a problem not only in one school but all schools across the country. Parents should have dialogue with teachers when they attend PTA meetings and aim for close working relationships towards addressing these problems.
As it relates to the PTA being weak as mentioned in the article, it is a fact that the strength of the school’s PTA is significantly dependent on the level of cooperation given by both parents and teachers. As such if Wisburg is found lacking in this area both parents and teachers are responsible.
Teachers have different approaches with regards to dealing with issues and solving problems. Generally, the Admin-istrative Staff meet and have discussions, and by consensus, decisions are taken and actions implemented. Based on investigation made by me. There are no “riffs” among teachers as reported in the article. In any organization individuals have the right to share different opinions. These differences in opinions should in no way be considered as “riffs”.
It is not a case of lack of innovative teaching methods that may make students appear not to be learning as parents may think as reported by the article. Rather it is due to the lack of an appropriate learning environment that teachers and students are faced with. For example there are six hundred and seventy students on roll with open classrooms which are overcrowded. The school’s compound needs proper fencing since it is presently open to the public. One of the school’s buildings is in direct contact with the public and unscrupulous individuals, who may be passing, sometimes make noise or make fun of students and teachers, and even throw sand into the building. These are the kind of conditions that the teachers and students of Wisburg Secondary School have to survive in. It is these conditions that contribute to some of the deviant behaviours and further contribute to the frustration of teachers which results in leave taking and work not being completed. I therefore strongly recommend that the teachers and students occupy the new building that is being built for them at the earliest possible convenience.
Yours faithfully,
Marie Ageda
Headteacher
Wisburg Secondary
School
Editor’s note
We can confirm that there was an incident at the school where a person was stabbed and had to be taken to the Linden Hospital Complex. A committee has now been set up to investigate the various issues at the Wisburg Secondary school following the report that appeared in the February 11 Sunday Stabroek.