Plea to police to keep an eye on students

THE EDITOR: I wish all the children who are attending school, whether ECCE, primary, secondary, post-secondary, trade and tertiary, etc, a safe, fun-filled, wonderful and blessed school term.

I also wish the best to all teachers, deans, cleaners, principals, vice principals, social workers, nurses, cafeteria staff, security, etc since every one of these people contribute to ensuring that our institutes of learning are clean, safe and run smoothly.

I make a very special appeal to the police to encourage all children in school uniform to get to their school on time. The new term has just begun and already there are students liming after 8 am when they should be in their classes.

I have been seeing this pattern for many years as a result of travelling on the east-west corridor as well as down south. I rarely see students from the prestige schools liming on mornings but I always see those from government secondary schools acting as if their parents sent them out to lime until 10 am. What is really going on?

I do not know what the rules are, but on evenings schoolchildren should be encouraged to get home early o'clock as well. Some of them stay out late liming in fast food restaurants or even malls, as well as cyber cafes playing video games, etc.

If there are no laws in place, can we consider enacting laws to prevent students in uniform liming late, etc unless they are with their parents or guardians? I understand that some schoolchildren would be attending lessons, practice sessions, etc, so the police must use their discretion.

I am also aware that those who are delinquent or love their "freedom" will change their uniforms to casual clothes after school. It is not about curtailing freedom, it is about encouraging discipline, discouraging students from being on a path of self-destruction, and having respect for the uniform.

I appeal to the police to be at taxi and maxi stands where secondary students like to hang out to monitor the situation a bit. Site visits can also be made at schools on afternoons since I have seen men waiting outside of schools to talk to the young female students. I absolutely cannot stand to see big hard-back men "checking out" underage girls. It is disgusting.

Worse are maxi conductors and "tusty" taxi drivers who do the same, and also influence the students to break school.

TTPS, please help.

J ALI

via e-mail