The Houston Secondary School has reportedly been broken into and vandalised between Monday evening and Tuesday morning, and the staff have been left concerned about their safety.
According to reports received, the cupboards in the school were defaced, and several pieces of equipment were destroyed. Guyana Times was informed that while the school was broken into, nothing of value was missing, thus leaving questions as to who committed the act.
The discovery was made on Tuesday morning when teachers turned up to prepare their class records for the new term. As such, Police were immediately summoned to the institution.
This is the second school break-in to have occurred in two weeks. Last month, the Kingston Secondary School was also vandalised. A teacher related that that school was ransacked while they were away, just like what obtained at Houston Secondary School, but nothing was missing from the Kingston Secondary.
In response to these incidents, teachers have expressed on social media concerns about the security system at schools. One teacher said schools are often left unprotected because there are not enough security officers to protect them.
“Some of these security officers have to work double shifts just to protect the school, and when they can’t make the double shift and there is no one to release them, they would leave, and the schools are left unprotected,” the teacher said.
Another teacher added, “We don’t even know if these security officers are undergoing proper training. They are just there, and in case of an emergency, can they do anything?”
It’s not the first time that teachers and others have raised concerns about security in schools. Last month, a gang of teenagers armed with scissors, wood, and a knife stormed into Harmony Secondary School located in Wismar, Linden, and attacked a student and teachers.
According to reports, the teenagers went specifically to attack a student who was unable to identify another student involved in a fight with one of the alleged gang members. Since then, parents and teachers have been calling for more able-bodied security guards to be stationed in schools around Guyana.
“I believe that all schools need proper security. We need people who are able and capable, trained, and can defend,” one parent noted.
