Dear Editor,
Recent events in three of our schools, confirm how rapidly Guyana continues its free fall into an amoral morass. The Stabroek News of February 11, 2007 and March 3, 2007 brought to the public’s attention the problems with rival gangs at Wisburg School. While the incidents at St Gabriel’s Primary on February 13, 2007 when a teacher was attacked and the more chilling one a North Georgetown Secondary on February 28, 2007 when a gun was drawn on a student were brought to our attention by all three dailies.
In the aftermath of the incidents at St. Gabriel’s Primary and North George-town Secondary, parents and teachers demanded and officials from the Ministry of Education promised better security and in the case of North Georgetown Secondary a more secure fence.
While improved security and fences may be immediate responses to these incidents one gets the disquieting impression that there is a resignation on the part of parents, teachers and the Ministry that nothing can be done to reverse the high level of brutishness in our society, therefore let us barricade ourselves in our schools with guards at the gate and hope for the best.
In the recently concluded 2007 budget debate the PNCR-1G stated unequivocally that a national effort to reverse our country’s moral decline must be our first defence against our unacceptably high crime rate. For emphasis I restate this position and suggest that the implementation of the following strategies are positive measures that are likely to result in the reduction of the incidents of violence and anti social behaviour in all our schools.
For make no mistake Wisburg, St Gabriel’s and North Georgetown are not the only schools with serious problems.
These strategies are:
The introduction/reintroduction of moral education in schools
Classes/seminars on alternative dispute resolution, for both students and teachers
A properly funded National Campaign in all schools entitled “Good Students, Good Teachers Campaign”.
Yours faithfully,
Deborah Osman-
Backer MP
