Sorry for murderBy VENUS HONORE-GOPIE Friday, December 11 2009
AN APOLOGY for the murder of a schoolboy plus expressions of love and unity between students of two warring schools were the major highlights of an interactive session between students of “trouble” schools along the East/West Corridor, Education Minister Esther Le Gendre and officials of the Schools Support Service.
The three-hour long meeting at the Centre of Excellence in Macoya saw Trevor Craig, a student of St Joseph’s College, apologise to students of St Augustine Secondary School, for the murder of Dillon Griffith, 18, who was stabbed to death allegedly by two St Joseph’s College students on November 23.
The meeting was the latest initiative by the minister and her team to find ways of minimising school violence and steering students away from deviant behaviour. The meeting also saw students of El Dorado East and West Secondary Schools, previously at war with each other, expressing feelings of mutual respect for each other.
Certain types of reggae music especially those by Jamaican artistes Movado and Vybz Cartel were identified by the students as having a negative influence on them. The students also said parents needed to take their role more seriously and assume greater responsibility.
Craig said he was grateful that students of St Augustine Secondary School attended the interactive session titled, “Let’s Talk It Out”, so he could apologise to them on his school’s behalf for the murder of Dillon. “I am sorry for it. I am very sorry for the loss of a student of your school, okay,” Craig said.
Craig said he believes students are the future of this country and they did not deserve to die violently. He suggested parents take greater responsibility and play a more active role in their children’s lives.
Rondelle Keller, president of the El Dorado East, student council presented Afiya Adams, a student of El Dorado West, with a book as a peace offering. These two schools were pushed into the public limelight for all the wrong reasons when students clashed with each other on November 17.
This led to concrete and steel wire walls being erected between the schools at a cost of $3 million plus the staggering of times to prevent students of boths schools from meeting each other and the use of scanners to search for weapons being instituted.
Keller invited students from El Dorado West to participate at another forum with El Dorado East to plan ways to improve their relationship through different joint ventures such as sports. Members of the media were not allowed to witness the session where well-known psychologist Anna-Maria Mora spoke to the students. Earlier, Keller said the council felt there were double standards within the education system particularly at his school. He said some teachers at his school dressed how they pleased but expected students to dress according to school rules. He said there were teachers who came to school late but expected students to be on time.
Other students also raised the issue of religious instruction classes being re-instituted at schools and the creation of a website where students could post concerns and issues and interact with each other for problem solving purposes.
Le Gendre said the aim of the meeting was to provide a forum for students to express their views on reasons behind the upsurge in student violence and indiscipline.
She said research showed that as many as 1,700 students from 17 schools along the East/West Corridor lime on the road after school hours and this was unacceptable. As a result, the ministry is working to improve the school bus service and to also stagger the times of five schools.
She said they intend to continue these talk sessions to create more opportunities for students to speak out on issues affecting them and to also foster a better student-teacher relationship.
