An important announcement was made on Friday by Guyana’s Head of State, Dr Irfaan Ali, who has committed to launching a special programme to address prevalent social challenges affecting school-aged youth.
While expressing deep concern about the current state of schools, the President called for more proactive measures.
To quote the Head of State: “We now have to proactively deal with what is happening in our schools. I am intensely disturbed by some of what I see on social media. It bothers me, we have to nip this in the bud, and there must be consequences for bad behaviour…More must be done, more has to be done. What I see on social media is not a reflection of who we are. Together we will, together we must.”
Sometime ago, a columnist for this publication, in one of her columns, had asked the question if we are indeed surprised at this stark reality in many of our schools when violence surrounds young people of varying ages on our streets, on our television screens, on game consoles, on our phones, in our neighbourhoods; and for too many, even in our homes.
Violence in schools is not confined there, and is prevalent in many other places. In Guyana, we have, in the past, seen a collaboration between the Guyana Police Force and the Education Ministry wherein random searches were conducted at schools for potential weapons. Surprisingly, screwdrivers, knives, scissors, and toy guns were found during some of these random searches.
An important aspect of the Education Ministry’s collaboration with the Police is that the partnership involves discussion on topics of violence, crime committed at schools, gang fighting, offensive weapons and, significantly, consequences.
Who would have thought that in the process of getting an education here in Guyana, safety in schools is becoming a primary concern? With the threats in question, it seems rightfully so.
In the past, we have seen several teachers being beaten by parents, and also in the past, there were several cases in which students fought their teachers. Over time, there were other reports of students being stabbed by others, or hurt by other means. Bullying, which is just another form of abuse, and even violence, was reported to be highly prevalent in many schools. Fight among New Campbellville Secondary School students, which was posted on social media, is a good example of violence in schools.
Those represent reported cases, as the understanding is that many cases are unreported out of fear of repercussion.
This publication has repeatedly said that there are many social ills affecting the Guyanese society, especially the younger segment of the population; and programmes and support services to help address these issues could never be enough. For example, the use of illegal drugs and alcohol, crime, suicide, domestic and other forms of violence are having a huge negative impact on communities across Guyana. And now, more than ever there, is need for a genuine collaborative approach, with inclusive planning and coordination; an approach in which volunteerism is a key element to help find practical and lasting solutions to these many ills.
We are well aware that sometimes young people may feel there is no end or solutions to the problems they are facing, and hence they turn to various forms of anti-social behaviours, thereby creating more challenges for an already burdened society.
While the Government must play a crucial role in designing the relevant policies and putting in place the necessary legislative framework and other support mechanisms aimed at addressing these issues, this burden must also be shared by various actors within the society, such as religious groups, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), etc, since such problems affect everyone.
We believe that if our young people are to move from the less mature and irresponsible ways of thinking and acting to making more mature and responsible judgements and engaging in activities that are the hallmark of a socially-productive adulthood, support systems must be provided.
