Gov’t developing comprehensive plan to tackle dangerous items in schools

By: Christal Yong

Minister of Home Affairs Oneidge Walrond says the government, through the Ministries of Home Affairs and Education, is developing a comprehensive plan to address the issue of students bringing dangerous items into schools.

The two ministries held consultations last week following a recent incident in which a primary school pupil was found with a licensed firearm at school.

Speaking on the matter, Minister Walrond said the plan under consideration includes training teachers to better identify students who may be carrying prohibited items.

She noted that police ranks will not be deployed to schools to carry out searches. Instead, authorities are examining practical measures that balance enforcement with children’s welfare.

“We don't want to deploy the Police Force for that kind of thing. They are still children, they are still minors. We want to be able to deal with it in a way that is appropriate, and I think a lot of it has to do with education and awareness, letting them know that it is not permissible to have those things,” the Minister stated.

She added that “it's going to be a multi-layered, multi-tiered approach.”

Walrond said the government is also looking at hotspot areas where such incidents are more likely to occur.

“For instance, I've tasked the Guyana Police Force to find out those areas, those schools that are particularly vulnerable to these kinds of activities, where children are being left open to having access to firearms and weapons and other kinds of weapons and knives and so on, and to identify those areas, those schools that may be vulnerable so that we can do heightened awareness.”

The minister said the comprehensive plan is still a work in progress, and no timeline has yet been given for when it will be rolled out.