Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Editor, AMANDALA

Dear Editor,

The chilling video of the six-year old student from Stella Maris School who ran through the school gates and met his untimely demise by drowning in the sea has raised many serious questions and concerns that must be addressed immediately by all stakeholders.

Firstly, one is compelled to ask the whereabouts of the school warden at the time of the incident, and how the school gate was apparently left unlocked or unattended when the child walked out to venture into the city streets oblivious of the dangers that would come his way. Aren’t our children entrusted into the care and supervision of teachers and administrators when they are sent to school to receive an education? 

Our children spend an average of 8 to 10 hours every day in the week to learn and to be nurtured with skills and values. Therefore, all mechanisms must be put in place to ensure their safety and well-being at all times, regardless of limited resources at the school, such as the unavailability of infrastructure, a shortage of staff, or lack of funding to provide the basic services and amenities to promote child safety and make learning conducive. 

Secondly, as I watched the horrendous footage of the young boy bolting for freedom on one of the busiest streets of the old capital, and eluding passersby who dared to restrain him, the intriguing question that I was moved to ask is, what was so compromising for the onlookers to detain the child? Or was it, too, that motorists were more concerned about getting to their workplace or destinations than stopping to intervene so as to secure the child’s well-being? Where were the police when this terrifying ordeal unfolded involving an infant with mental challenges? 

Finally, our Ministry of Education must conduct a thorough investigation into this unfortunate situation that has claimed the life of an innocent child, and ensure proper compensation to the family for this gross negligence caused by whoever is responsible. The Ministry needs to include or enforce into the national curriculum, basic training in parenting and counseling for teachers, wardens, and even parents, to sensitize them about how to deal with children and their needs and challenges.

Also, I’m still not certain whether there are truancy officers working in the city and all districts in the country. Truancy officers visit the homes of students who have been absent from school without a valid excuse and investigate the reason for their absence. They also work with school administrators to develop strategies to improve attendance and reduce truancy rates.

As a community and stakeholders, we all can do much more to protect our children, especially the disadvantaged ones and those who are at risk from all perils and harm, and to nurture their well-being for a smooth transition into the future of this beautiful Jewel of ours.

Parents, it is 11:00 p.m. Do you know where your children are?

Yours faithfully,

Apolinar A. Tzul, M.ED.

Retired Educator