…offer $1M reward for credible info on source of threats

SCHOOL of the Nations’ Parent Teachers’ Association (PTA) is demanding that the Guyana Police Force update the nation on the progress made in investigating the threats of destruction that have rocked the school and other educational institutions in recent days.

Standing a short distance away from the Ministry of Public Security on Tuesday, four parents led by the PTA’s President, Anna Lisa Fraser-Phang, pleaded for answers from the authorities, in particular the Guyana Police Force. On January 24, a person or persons unknown threated to ‘shoot-up’ the school. The Director of Nations, Dr. Brian O’Toole, was hours after shot and injured at his home.

According to Fraser-Phang, the PTA had advised the police to issue a public statement updating the nation on the investigation into the threats, but was met with rejection. Though not discrediting the work done by the police thus far, Fraser-Phang said much more needs to be done.

“They sent their people in; they have done a sweep of the school, thank you very much, we appreciate that but more needs to be done. You need to speak to the people of the nation and let us know what is happening,” the PTA President said. Added to that, she said there is need for widespread condemnation of the threats associated with terrorist acts.

Fraser-Phang was backed by John Ramsingh and Jerry Gouveia, both of whom have children attending the school. “An education is a basic right for a child, and we cannot fulfill that right…So we would just like the authorities to give us some answers, tell us it is safe to send our children back to school because we have ‘A, B, C’ in custody, we have questioned ‘X, Y, Z’. We need to know something, we need to know that it is really and truly a safe place again that we can call school,” Ramsingh said, as he added his voice to the issue.

In a written statement, the concerned parents said that through the media, they learnt that a former student of the school was identified as a person of interest, however, to date; there is no clear indication whether the person is assisting the Guyana Police Force in solving the act of terrorism. “We know that persons who have aided and abetted are just as guilty as those who are considered master minds, as such they should all face the full brunt of the law,” they said.

To assist with the investigation, the small group of parents is offering a $1M reward to person(s) who may have credible information that may lead to the capture of the perpetrators.

The school’s administration has increased security measures at the Georgetown campus, and has sought help from US cyber Security and the State Department to track the origin of the threatening Facebook post. The Commissioner of Police, Leslie James, and the Education Minister, Nicolette Henry, met last week and agreed to have police officers placed at schools across the city after threats were made against Queen’s College and the Bishops High School. Since that meeting, police officers could be seen at city schools including School of the Nations, but Fraser-Phang on Tuesday expressed dissatisfaction. According to her, enough attention is not given to School of the Nations.

“We were expecting and told that we would have the mobile and the counsellors available to all our children at School of the Nations, we have not seen anything. They were extended to other schools, and I am not belittling any other school, they need it just as much, but we were offered very little and given even less,” the PTA president told reporters.

She expressed concerns that officials from neither the Education Ministry nor the Ministry of Public Security or Social Protection has reached out to the parents whose children’s lives have been endangered.

“We demand more of our authorities. We are not second rate citizens, our children are not second rate citizens, we should all be treated with the same urgency,” she posited.
Fraser-Phang said she is now left with no other choice than to write the three ministries and the Guyana Police Force on the matter to formally register the PTA’s concern and frustration.

“I guess we will have to write. We are speaking to them through the media, and sitting down one-on-one doesn’t seem to get anywhere, certainly not with the commissioner of police. Tell me what else do we need to do as citizens to get a response from the authorities? Are they not aware of what is happening?”

Fraser-Phang also used the platform to call on parents to be more responsible. She said parents ought to be more involved in the lives of their children and monitor their activities and friendships.
Gouveia said that school has not been the same the start of the threats on January 24. It was noted that while some classes have resumed, others have not because parents are awaiting clear answers from the police.

The parents said they know the seriousness of the criminal activity and the intention of the perpetrator(s), pointing out that after several threats via the internet, Nations Director, Dr. Brian O’Toole was shot and injured. Stating that cybercrime, bullying and violence have no place in society, the parents pointed out that when that when a threat was issued to President David Granger, the perpetrator was swiftly apprehended.

“There are evidence of amplified security measures in and around the schools premises and we are pleased, but we will be convinced that all schools are safe again for our children when the criminals are caught and until then we wouldn’t ease our efforts,” the parents said.

Two senior officers of the Guyana Police Force were seen observing and interacting with at least one of the parents. The police reportedly wanted to ascertain the purpose of the small gathering opposite the ministry. Shortly after the exercise ended, there was a bomb scare at the University of Guyana.