The Vauxhall High School in east Kingston, Jamaica, was closed Monday after teachers raised concerns over inadequate security with administrators.
Angela Chaplin, the school’s principal, told The Gleaner yesterday that the school will be re-opened today. The school’s new term started on August 29.
“They (teachers) decided to make a silent and very decent protest so we asked the children to stay at home until we contact the relevant authorities,” said Ms. Chaplin. “We need to look critically at the wall … We need the wall.”
Located at the rear of the school, ‘the wall’ is a boundary between Vauxhall and Black Street, a section of Browns Town which has experienced bouts of gang fighting since the start of the year.
Ms. Chaplin told The Gleaner that since a section of the white washed fence was destroyed by Hurricane Ivan in September 2004, gunmen from neighbouring communities have trespassed on to the school compound on several occasions.
She says the Vauxhall board has had dialogue about repairing the wall with the Office of National Reconstruction, the Ministry of Education and Member of Parliament for East Kingston, Phillip Paulwell.
“By this week we are expecting the relevant estimates to be taken and work to be started,” said Ms. Chaplin.
None of the teachers present yesterday were willing to talk to The Gleaner. But the groundsman of 26 years says the ‘invasions’ by thugs have been nerve-wracking for staff and the 1,600 students.
“Sometime yuh hear the gunshot and si dem (gunmen) come through the wall wid dem gun, an’ the whole school get ‘upstir’,” said the groundsman who chose not to give his name.
Gangs from the Black Street area of Browns Town have reportedly been at odds with rivals from McIntyre Villa, popularly known as ‘Dunkirk’.
Police point to this bloody feud as the cause of 14 deaths in East Kingston this year.
The latest round of fighting took place two weeks ago in the area where several homes were firebombed, leaving over 35 persons homeless.
Deputy Superintendent Doric Sinclair of the Kingston Eastern Police Division, told The Gleaner yesterday that no arrests have been made in relation to those incidents.
In the meantime, the problem of school security was further illustrated yesterday, when a young adult was shot and killed by unknown assailants at the rear of the Cockburn Gardens Primary School on Hagley Park Road, St. Andrew.
He has been identified as Errol Walker of Dunn Path, Sievwright Gardens.
About 2:55 p.m. explosions were heard on the school compound. On investigation, Walker’s body was found with gunshot wounds. Efforts to contact the principal of the institution for comment were unsuccessful.
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