The Ministry of Education (MoE) has launched an investigation into Monday’s incident, in which a student of the Freeburg Secondary School on Norton Street in the city was stabbed by another student following an argument. When contacted yesterday, an official at the School Welfare’s Department of the MoE told Stabroek News that the matter was being investigated by officials there. When questioned on whether the ministry has received reports of sharp instruments being found on students by teachers at city schools, the official stated that she cannot divulge such information as it is currently engaging the attention of the ministry.

On Monday afternoon, 14-year-old Marlon Lowe, of the Freeburg Secondary school, sustained a stab wound to his upper back following an argument with another student. He told Stabroek News that the wounding stemmed from an incident which occurred on the opening day of school last week Tuesday, when his class teacher placed him and a few other students in another classroom which was occupied by another class at the time. A student from that class began taunting him, and that led to him being attacked by the student and his friends on Monday afternoon. During the attack he was stabbed in his upper back by the student, who used an ice pick to carry out the attack. He was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital by his mother, who stated that she had raised the issue of students taking various sharp instruments such as ice picks, knives and used surgical blades to school.

Efforts to obtain a comment from the administration of the Freeburg Secondary school yesterday proved futile.