It seems as if ‘gang war’ among students is beginning to rear its ugly head again. Based on a report in yesterday’s issue of the Guyana Chronicle, a student of the New Campbellville Secondary school is a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital, after he and a gang of boys attempted to ‘gang beat’ another student last week, while another 17-year old student of the same school was assisting the police in their investigations.If ‘gang war’ is indeed established, then the competent authorities should do all in their power to nip this scourge in the bud. It should be a matter of grave concern to both teachers and parents as well as students themselves, if there is a spillover of this menace to other schools, not only in the city, but also schools throughout the country. However it is highly unlikely that such occurrences could surface at schools in the countryside.
We recall the incident last year when about 17 students from two secondary schools in Georgetown, well armed, travelled to the Leonora Secondary School on the West Coast of Demerara, where they had intended to settle a score with one of the students there. Pandemonium almost broke loose when the students from the city schools attempted to gain entry into the school’s compound. However, the teachers at the school kept their composure and quickly alerted the Leonora police who responded promptly and arrested the delinquent students. They were later disciplined by their schools.
We cannot allow this type of behaviour among our student population. Reports of ‘gang war’ among students must not be tolerated, and should be prevented from escalating in our school system. The people believe that those found to be involved in ‘gang war’ among the school population should be treated condignly. We cannot sit back idly, and allow this vulture to tear away at the morale of our students.
It is to be noted that since 1992, the Guyana government has pumped billions of dollars into the education sector with an aim of improving conditions in schools throughout the country, while there have been several innovations to provide more comfort to both teachers and students.
The people recall the construction of state-of-the-art institutions which have displaced rundown and dilapidated school structures across the country, and recognise the erection of Technical Vocational Training Centres, two of which have been built recently at Leonora on the West Coast of Demerara and Mahaicony on the East Coast of Demerara. These two centres in particular are fully equipped with modern appliances to reach out to the training needs of our nation’s school children.
Our Vocational Training Centres throughout the country, along with our traditional primary and secondary schools are the fulfilling aspects of the Ministry of Education’s mission Statement: “To provide equal access to all Guyanese children and young people to equal education.”
Our nation’s schoolchildren must therefore take advantage of all these amenities that have been provided in the education sector. It should be noted that the education sector is so designed to ensure that every child is equipped academically and with a skill or skills when they would have completed their initial years in school. This, no doubt, would enable them to enter the job market well prepared and with confidence.
There should be no place for these so-called ‘gang wars’ among our students. While we agree that no society could be pure and devoid of delinquents, we cannot leave things to fortuity. We cannot leave everything to the teachers regarding our children’s upbringing. Parents are equally important and must recognise that they also have an important role to play for their own benefit and for the benefit of their children; as the adage goes: “Charity begins at home and ends where it begins.”