Dear Editor,

The most disturbing and alarming situation with regard to schools in Linden was the report by Cathy Wilson headlined “Students gang at Wisburg School involved in violence”, in Sunday Stabroek of the 11th February. One is left dumbfounded by the description of events, e.g. “when word got around, the real boy friend of the girl equipped himself with a baton wrapped in cloth and barbed wire, and then in the company of his fellow gang members chased the boaster on school property” ( 2) “Another recent incident at the same school (a former student) he was armed with a machete and attacked the young man.

The attacker approached the other pointing the machete at his throat.” And these graphic descriptions Mr. Editor are only just two out of at least ten instances involving the use of dangerous weapons that have been reported to the police”.

According to Ms. Wilson’s report, there were others involving the use of a spear to stab, all in the presence of teachers who were disregarded, and in some cases too helpless in their effort to stop the violence.

But the true picture will be lost just to use the word violence, there is also a form of barbarity employed by these students! Where are we heading in our schools!

This school is populated with seven hundred children, the good, the bad and the ugly. This same school attracted one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000) from the Guyana Education Access project for work to continue.

Mr. Editor, please understand that all I’m trying to do here is to shine more light on the dark and corrosive area in our community/school, that Ms. Wilson has reported on and which the relevant authorities seem reluctant to deal with. She has also enlightened us as to the rottenness of standards where young girls are often at the back of the school “making love” with young men from the school and also from outside.

But there is a vital point that was made by the reporter, which notice must be taken of; “This newspaper was told that parents and teachers feel the Department of Education had been dilatory and ineffective in dealing with issues at the school, especially violent behaviour