… in wake of violent attacks in schools

THE Region 10 Department of Education has ramped up the schools welfare services to tackle the upsurge in violence in schools which has been a major reason for concern to the education officials.

Regional Executive Officer, Orrin Gordon, related that systems have been put in place to tackle the issue head on through the Welfare Department.
He, however, believes that all stakeholders need to get involved in the process since the situation is not only a school-based one, but other factors such as home environment should also be taken into account.

One of the proactive mechanisms that is being used is to provide these services to students residing in the dormitories in the region: the Linden Foundation Secondary and the Kwakwani dormitory. Regional Education Officer, Robindra Singh, also alluded to students being able to access these services on a proactive, rather than a reactive, basis. He also called for better communication to be established among the teachers and called on the necessary players to work over time to ensure incidences of violence are decreased in schools.

A decision to ensure the Welfare Department becomes more proactive came after recent incidences of violence escalated in schools in Linden, leaving students hospitalized. A 15-year-old female Linden Foundation student remains hospitalized at the Linden Hospital Complex while the school mate who allegedly stabbed her, is no longer in police custody.

The Director of Public Prosecutions had advised the Region 10 Police Headquarters to conduct further investigation on the file that was sent last month. Police are still conducting those investigations and are hoping to resend the file soon. Meanwhile, the hospitalized girl’s mother, Dane Lyte, said she will not give up until justice is served for her daughter.