The old boys' associations of Kingston College and St George's College Monday expressed concern about the feud last week between the two North Street neighbours, which left two boys nursing stab wounds.

The clashes were sparked when a female student was slapped by a pupil of St George's College. The girl reported the incident to her boyfriend from Kingston College, who went to her assistance.

The student then proceeded to confront the offending boy, who was slapped. Since the incident, there have been other altercations between students of the schools.

Caring and nurturing

"It is with great shock and horror that we, the members of the old boys' associations of both schools, learned of the news of the conflict that has taken place between students of St George's College and Kingston College," said a joint statement from Courtney Currie and Kenneth daCosta, presidents of the two past students bodies.

The presidents stated that high schools should be a place of caring and nurturing, "so that these precious young people can take their places as respectable and productive citizens of this land, Jamaica, the country that we all love dearly".

No conflicts

The statement continued, "These great schools should never exist in an environment of conflict. To this end, we the members of the association have committed to redouble our effort, in conjunction with the school administrators, to arrest and eliminate the scourge of this cancer of violence that has taken over our schools and society".

Meanwhile, out of concern about the recent spate of violence among feuding students, Transport and Works Minister Mike Henry will be issuing an invitation to the respective principals, to meet with him to help resolve the matter, which could spill over into the Half-Way Tree Transport Centre, which is heavily used by students daily.

Meanwhile, the management of the transport hub said all necessary measures, including increasing security patrols, were being taken to ensure public order is maintained.

"We are not taking an alarmist approach, but instead are proactively relating to the sensitivity of the centre's security, considering the wide public usage of the facility," said Victor Green, the general manager.