Dear Editor,

I am terribly disappointed and disgusted. If our leaders cannot handle simple little things, how then are they going to handle the bigger ones? They need to put their shoulders to the wheel to ensure that school rules and regulations are adhered to by pupils and not to leave it up to guidance counsellors or teachers only. They must take the leading role because school compounds are becoming battlefields.

There was just the stabbing death of a female school student by her own colleague. How sad. This is becoming all too common and steps must be taken to stem the tide.

If a dog viciously attacks you, anything you have in your hand, you are going to use in self-defence.

When schoolers are having their dispute and a heated argument develops, where they become spitfire angry and a fight breaks out between them; whatever they have in their hands, or anything that they can find, they will use to defend themselves. The result may be a tragic one: serius injury, death or deaths.

How long do we intend to preach the same sermon telling schoolchildren not to take illegal weapons to school, but to no avail? They know already as they are consistently told not to take destructive weapons to school. But they do not seem to take the instructors seriously. It is like they are saying: “To hell with you, you can’t tell me what to do.” And so they are certainly winning the battle against the rule makers.

To cut down or to prevent them from taking illegal implements to school, won’t be easy. But the Government should plan a strategy in which all students can be thoroughly searched. Whether through the use of technology or literally asking them to turn out their pockets, it must be done to safeguard the teachers and students themselves.

Care must be taken here as some students are hot-tempered and have aggressive personalities, so it will need special people to assist in the searches.

Whatever the method employed it must be safety first. Whether on or off a school compound the rule still stands: Students must not take anything that is illegal or any dangerous weapon on their person, or along with them, and the Government must empower the schools to be able to achieve this.

Donald J Mckoy

donaldmckoy2010@hotmail.com