Vigil held for murdered schoolboy

May 22, 2012 News

There wasn’t a dry eye last night as family, friends and teachers of the late

A Friend of George breaks down into tears last night

Shane George, held a vigil at the Morgan Learning Centre.
President of the Guyana Teacher’s Union, Coretta Mc Donald, who was present last night, said that society isn’t just losing one young man, but two. She said that it appears that violence has become the new trend and this should be a worrying problem.
Mc Donald said that she has been lobbying for more emphasis to be placed on how children are behaving in and out of school. She said that they have recognized that children are coming from single parent households and broken homes.
She told Kaieteur News that unless the various issues that children bring into school are address, these institutions will continue to lose children. She added that parents also share some of the blame. According to her some parents have failed their children and they need to make a wise choice and decide to take their children back.
She said that parents need to be more vigilant, be more concerned in their child’s school work, and have better relationships with teachers and most importantly their children. Further she said that both parents and teachers should do random checks of children’s school bags. She also lobbied for counselors to be present in every school.
Mc Donald noted also that police also plays a part in guiding the youths. She said that the police should be more vigil and make periodical stops at schools. Mc Donald posited that unless the ministry can come up with a better method than corporal punishment they should not take it out. According to Mc Donald the children have become so pompous because they recognize the teacher have relatively no power in the classroom.

A few of the students last night at the vigil

George was stabbed outside of the Morgan Learning Centre last Wednesday allegedly by a fellow student. George, a student of St. George’s High School, was stabbed several times about the body. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
Kaieteur News was told that George, who was preparing to sit this year’s Caribbean Examination Council (CXC), and his assailant, were seen arguing. Eyewitnesses said that the two teenagers were in a row over “brand name” clothes. A scuffle ensued and George was stabbed.
Persons who claimed to be eyewitnesses said that the suspect attempted to run but was nabbed by other students and was handed over to the police, who arrived shortly after the incident.
This is the second schoolboy murder for the year.
In February last, 17 year old Anfernee Bowman was fatally stabbed by an 18-year-old in a row over a girl. It was reported that both teens attended lessons in Aubrey Barker Road, South Ruimveldt.
His attacker turned himself in several hours later. He was subsequently charged with the murder and is awaiting his day in court.