SINT MAARTEN (PHILIPSBURG) - Member of Parliament (MP) Claudius Buncamper of the USP Faction in parliament voiced his concerns about the report of a firearm and drugs found in a student’s school bag during a random search by the school’s authorities, the MP said on Wednesday in a media statement.
According to the article that appeared in the Daily Herald of Wednesday, September 1st, “the student is now behind bars.”
MP Buncamper, however, turned his attention in this matter towards the Minister of Education, Rudolphe Samuel, who during the 2021 budget debate in parliament, informed parliamentarians of his restructuring plans for schools, including the one where the unfortunate incident took place.
While these plans are yet to be put in place, the MP noted that security services, which the school management requested, have been removed from the school, leaving teachers and students fearing for their safety as fights and brawls take place on the school’s premises and on the public roads with no security in sight. “Should we expect teachers and school staff to intervene in fights while the possibility of the use of weapons, such as fire arms, exists?” the MP wondered and expressed his concerns about the irrational decisions taken by the ministry of education or the Minister’s Cabinet, which puts teachers and students lives at risk. MP Buncamper emphasized that “Money, or the lack there of, cannot be the ultimate reason for decision making. Teachers and students lives matter too. Are we going to take the bull by the horns now, or will we wait until the situation escalates to the loss of one or more lives?
MP Buncamper admonished the Minister of Education to speed up his restructuring plans for the schools as to avoid any further unfortunate mishaps.
In regards to the student who was found with a fire arm and drugs in his school bag , MP Buncamper believes that placing the student “behind bars” will not solve the problems. Instead, the MP suggests that a bootcamp, in the form of a resilient fostering learning project, be established to mold delinquent youngsters back into society as civilized citizens. The bootcamp can serve the community in several aspects, such as a VKS Kazerne or a local militia to instill discipline in youngsters, and provide them the opportunity to learn trades such as masonry, carpentry, welding, painting and more. This can be done in collaboration with NIPA, and creates the opportunity for future candidates for our VKS and police force, the MP concluded.
Source: Souliga Newsday https://soualiganewsday.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=39542:covid-19-curfew-extended-until-september-17&Itemid=450
