THE EDITOR, Sir:

PLEASE ALLOW me to comment on the letter to The Editor captioned 'Teachers' right to self-defence' in the Wednesday Gleaner of November 21. While that avenue seems the logical human thing to do in our environment of increasing fear, it would be a serious mistake if that notion is legislated. The writer is forgetting that students are minors and civil societies have agreed on ways to deal with them. Sometimes adults will get hurt while trying to socialise them into what adults deem to be acceptable behaviours, but it must be borne in mind that most of the times minors are living out what adults have shown them, deliberately or otherwise.

Lack of decision-making

However, I would like to suggest that the remedy for most of what now happens in our schools is the effect from lack of relevant decision-making for the environment that we live in. Our schools are microcosms of the larger society. The students come from homes and communities that have all sorts of axes to grind and that energy will be directed at teachers and fellow students. What must be done in the schools, NOW, is for all members of staff to be trained in critical incident manage-ment of such situations as: hostage situation, kidnapping, assault by an intruder/student, shootings, rape, fighting, suicides or its attempt and understanding and even the bare essentials of edged and projectile weapons.

When the staff is so equipped, they will be able to employ proactive means to prevent or de-escalate potentially volatile or violent situations. This is the self defence that civil society must encourage towards children, otherwise we will continue to sow the idea of terror and reap more practical harvests of bitterness.

I am, etc.,

KAMAU HAKIZMANA

Executive officer - KAMCORP

Montego Bay