When asked about the reduction to school security allocation the Minister of Education Mr Anthony Garcia said that incidence of school violence and indiscipline have gone down, hence the reason for the reduction. I am not certain where the Honourable Minister got his data from; I do hope it is good source. But I can say this, there are things that take place in our schools that no one dares to take to the authorities.
The reason the Minister gave for the reduction in allocation to security at the schools has left a lot to be desired. Tell me something–if for three months the murder monthly rate went down, do we now send home police officers? No, that is very unwise because the offenders are still out there and opportunities for criminal activities are still available.
The very same with our schools; do not think for one moment the school population has been converted overnight. Anyone believing this is living in a fool's paradise. We must be realistic.
Could it be that the presence of so many security guards literally intimidates those bent on misbehaving? When that cut is made some schools may be left without any security at all, or very little. Will that not now encourage violence and indiscipline knowing that the law enforcement is no longer there? Mr Garcia needs to ponder on these questions.
While we may all want the Minister of Education's dream to become a reality, this is not so as yet, so do not give our nation false hope. Keep up the security level at our schools. Society has changed over the years and so has the behaviour of people, including our children. Prevention is always better than cure.
Arnold Gopeesingh,
San Juan