Yes to armed school guards

Students are dealing with guns more than the security guards themselves... Really, high fences and armed security in today’s crime culture create a sense of comfort that’s enormously positive for adults and children... Effective leadership knows when to dump vain technicality and deal with plain reality.

Three years ago (07-07-01) under the caption0.. “Metal Detectors Can Help,” this column stated inter alia, “There are times when the answer to a problem may be found through the strictly formal and technical route of compelling scientific arguments, rigorous analyses and empirical data.  There are other times when such a route may be entirely unnecessary and a big waste of precious time and resources, since simple, plain commonsense will do. “We may have to decide whether our focal emphasis is on finding problems for solutions or solutions for problems.  We could be developing a culture with the peculiarity of desperately looking for answers we have already found... Why are we always afraid to be proactive? Bring on the metal detectors.  Begin with high-risk schools.”

Now that the Ministry of Education has finally come to the conclusion that this practical, commonsense approach — metal detectors, armed guards (whether you choose to call them “precepted” or anything else), high-wall fence and barbed wire — is the best way to go, it appears somebody is seeing the light. And of course, I fully agree with Professor Ramesh Deosaran who, in commenting on the Ministry’s latest move, told Newsday:  “This is a direct and very welcome intervention, because it will help change the quality of life for both teachers and students, and also help prevent trespassers and other violent intruders (from entering) into the school premises.  The persons will also function as watchmen for students who miss classes, loot or fight on the streets and also have direct contact with parents.”

There could hardly be a more pragmatic and insightful response.  Effective leadership knows when to dump vain technicality and deal with plain reality.  I sincerely believe that in the current scenario there is absolutely no need to waste time on things like psychological intricacies and technicalities, the nuances of semantics or exaggerated pontification and prognostications. We know factors such as modern modes of classroom management and related concepts, along with myriads of other arguments on behavioural and social science, culture, socio-economic and psycho-social factors, professional counselling, learning ambience, pedagogical measures and moral and spiritual values, can be raised.  However, we are at a stage where we need to take a pragmatic approach, based on the obvious practicalities.

What is all this talk about high walls and barbed wire fencing causing children to “feel like jail,” resulting in devastating psychological effects on the children?  Come on, let’s get real!  High walls and barbed wire are purely in keeping with current security trends and the reality of today’s world. Well-fortified security fences are everywhere. Contrary to what we have been hearing, high fences and armed security in today’s crime culture create a sense of safety and comfort that’s enormously positive for both adults and children. That’s why we keep clamouring for more armed patrols in our communities and every little caf and toy shop has an armed guard. The “security pride” of many modern gated communities is the high-wall fence.  Criminals, drug traffickers and violent intruders are everywhere.  It’s common knowledge that they have been brazenly and viciously targetting our schools. 

Are we saying that the Ministry of Education should continue to sit back, listening to somebody trying to impress, God knows who, with all kinds of trite, useless “high science and philosophy” talk, while in real life we are losing everything and everybody to the evil elements? Hats off to Minister Hazel Manning and her team for taking decisive action. A schoolteacher was recently threatened with a gun by a “bold-face” intruder in school.  The incident traumatised the entire staff and student body.  A highly respected female schoolteacher was butchered on the job in Tobago. It has now become fashionable for parents, guardians and students to violently attack and abuse teachers. And we all know of the crazy gun attacks and death at the International School in Westmoorings. It has become even more fashionable for students to brutally attack other students with a type of ruthless audacity that was, until not too long ago, identified only with hardened criminals. 

This kind of behaviour is not merely the culture of the school; it is the mirror of the society. Guns seem to be more common than food these days, and we all know it.  There are students in schools who handle more guns than the security guards themselves.  You doubt they are so deeply involved until you see them arrested or shot by the police.  These children have also had their psyche assaulted for years by violent television and movies, majoring in gun violence.  So what’s this talk now about armed school guards being bad for the minds of the children of this gun age? As regrettable as the reality is, some of these students are actually young criminals in school uniforms and we must stop fooling ourselves by pretending it’s otherwise. We must take decisive measures to protect the children who are willing to use school for its intended purpose.  That’s why you must keep up this good work, Madam Minister.