BUT Head, student leaders call for tougher measures

A pupil at St Catherine’s Primary School, St Philip reportedly pulled a knife on a fellow Class Four student in the third knife-wielding incident since the start of the term, President of the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) Rudy Lovell confirmed Monday.

The confrontation occurred in the morning before classes began, Barbados TODAY has learned.

“There was a group of Class Four students in the classroom. A boy took a knife out of his bag and pulled it on another boy. The other students ran out of the classroom screaming,” one source said, adding that Ministry of Education officials and the police visited the school.

The incident did not lead to the school’s closure. When contacted, Ministry of Education spokesperson Gaynelle Marshall said the ministry could not comment due to the sensitive nature of the matter involving a minor.

The age of the knife-carrying child was not made available. Under current law, children may be held criminally responsible for their actions from age 11.

“This is only the third week of the school term and already we have witnessed two stabbings, a parent entering a school threatening a teacher and now a primary school student has committed an offence with a knife,” Lovell said.

This latest incident comes on the heels of two stabbings at separate secondary schools last week. Last Monday, two 15-year-olds were involved in a lunchtime fight, with one boy stabbing the other at the Alexandra School.

On Friday, after classes were dismissed at Graydon Sealy Secondary, a similar altercation occurred.

Following these incidents, the Ministry of Education urged parents to conduct thorough bag checks and play a more active role in maintaining school safety, while schools increased security.

Lovell emphasised that students and teachers are growing increasingly fearful as violent acts become more prevalent. He also called for authorities to enforce stricter consequences under Section 64A of the Education Act, which outlines penalties for students found with weapons.

The union leader said: “Our schools continue to experience scenes of violence and the public is beginning to get a sense of what teachers experience. It is frightening. Our teachers are no longer just educators and our students are now exposed to more violence; they are witnesses to aggression and fear and they are scared. We cannot wait for the next tragedy to act. We are calling on parents and those who care to intervene swiftly and decisively before more harm is done.”

He argued that some students believe they face no consequences beyond suspension.

“Some of our students believe that there are no consequences for their bad behaviour as their violent actions often go unpunished by those with the power to do so,” he added.

“They enter society thinking that this trend will continue. I wonder if there’s any consideration for the victims, the safety of our children, teachers and the future of our nation.

“There’s a popular [view] among educators that those and authorities do not want to criminalise children or their parents who commit criminal offences on school compounds. I have literally heard children say that they can do X or Y and get away with it. Even though they may be the minority, children of all ages are exhibiting violent behaviour. While Section 64 A of the Education Act outlines what can happen to offenders, at times these guidelines are not considered.”

Section 64A (12) (b) of the Education Act states that any pupil found in possession of an offensive weapon is liable on summary conviction to a fine of $1 000 if under 16 years old, or a fine and imprisonment of up to six months for older offenders.

The BUT president disclosed that teachers regularly complain of students threatening them or using abusive language. He insisted that the ministry must take decisive action, especially when dealing with students who present behavioural challenges.

Lovell contended that a small number of students are struggling with serious behavioural challenges and were desperately in need of help. He criticised the delay in intervention, pointing out that by the time help arrives, many students are transitioning to another school or have already left the system.

The Barbados National Student Council (BNSC) also weighed in, expressing concern over the impact of violence on students and calling for more security measures.

BNSC member Roshauna Clarke, a Harrison College student, called for systematic bag searches and security cameras in schools.

“It is really important that children feel safe at school because if my friend got stabbed, I would not be in the right frame of mind to think about Maths,” she told Barbados TODAY.

“I believe that if we implement safety procedures to make sure that these things (weapons) do not enter school, it will make the place better for everyone.”

Fellow BNSC member, Destiny Earle- Massiah of the Parkinson Memorial School, shared similar sentiments, stressing that children need safe spaces to express their concerns.

She said: “I think that children who have issues can go to someone they feel safe with, such as the guidance counsellor or their [favourite] teachers and talk about what they are experiencing. I feel the stabbings really impacted the first formers. I think it really triggered them and there should be something in place so children feel more safe at school.”

She added that too many children often seek advice from their peers who did not have the emotional intelligence to guide them correctly.

“Friends don’t always [have] the right advice, so I feel they should go to their teachers,” Earle-Massiah advised.

sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb