Minister Baksh announces move to bolster schools security
MINISTER of Education, Mr. Shaik Baksh has announced that his ministry will move, expeditiously, to beef up security at schools, particularly those that have been targeted by criminal elements, especially in Georgetown. He made the announcement in the wake of last Friday’s harrowing episode of a cutlass wielding and Bass spray attack on staff and pupils of Roxanne Burnham Nursery School in the South of the city.
Shortly before noon on Friday, pandemonium broke out there when a man, armed with a cutlass and a can of Bass spray, entered the building, forced the headmistress, teaching staff and children to lie face down on the floor, then ordered the teachers to hand over laptop computers and Blackberry cellular phones he presumed they had in their possession.
The screaming children were the first to obey the order, followed by the headmistress and other teachers. But one of the latter, who was slow to obey the order was dealt a severe blow to the head and twice sprayed with the noxious substance in the face, causing her to need medical treatment.
Had it not been for the quick-wittedness and bravery of a four-year-old boy, who darted through one of the doors unnoticed and ran into the streets raising an alarm, more persons might have been injured or even killed, one teacher said.
As everyone lay on the floor as instructed by the intruder, another teacher who seemed to specially attract his attention, bolted out.
The assailant hurried after her, threatening to chop her up.  As he chased the woman, a child alerted residents who went to the rescue and the attacker fled the premises empty handed.
The incident was reported to the Police and ranks arrived on the scene quickly.
Teachers told the Guyana Chronicle that the school has a security guard but the service is only provided at nights.

Expressed concern
Minister Baksh expressed concern over the occurrence and undertook, on Monday, to effect changes.
He said he is aware of the unfortunate development and spoke to the Principal Education Officer, Georgetown, who is to make recommendations and have discussions with Parent/Teachers Associations on the way forward. 
“But we do have a programme of providing additional security for schools, particularly those that are targeted,” Baksh said.
Meanwhile, there could be greater need for security to be enhanced at schools, now that laptop computers are being made available to those institutions and criminals seem to be targeting them and television sets.
During the distribution of laptops to secondary schools at the National Centre for Education Research Development (NCERD), on Monday, too, the students were urged to take advantage of the programmes being shown, especially for their benefit, on the special educational television channel.
One Queen’s College (QC) student, concerned about the children who do not have access to television, asked how will they become beneficiaries and, in response,  Baksh said he is optimistic that, at least 90 per cent of those on the coastland are having either in their homes or at schools.
He, however, said the Ministry of Education will work out a programme to ensure that all schools have television sets.
“A lot of schools do have television sets but, for those that do not as yet have, we are going to ask the Parent/Teachers Associations (PTAs) to raise funds and buy for the schools,” Baksh said.