STUDENTS CAUGHT GAMBLING AT "DONKEY COLLEGE" IN BERBICE

Young bandits-to-be engaging in a nice session of gambling, the best way to prepare for a school day, it seems

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More and more children are engaging in the unhealthy societal ill of gambling. Without a doubt instances of gambling have been prevalent and are being reported within the school system on a daily basis. Some schools are hot- spots more than others, while some that were not hot- spots are slowly becoming gambling centres especially during non- teaching sessions like morning recess and lunchtime. 

These are the times when teachers and students part ways and children are left unsupervised and in some cases, leave the school’s premises and surroundings to retreat to a suitale area in which they conduct their clandestine activities.

This newspaper caught a few students of a school in New Amsterdam a few days ago gambling. The school, referred to as “Donkey College” is one of the lowest grades of schools in the entire Berbice region. Attending it are the ‘rejects’ of the entire secondary system; students who gained below average marks at the National Grade Six Assessment Examination (NGSA). 

Early one morning, minutes before the start of the 8:30 am session of school, the cameras of yours truly caught sight of the gamblers. But they were not gambling on the school’s premises. A groups of boys had gathered, during what has become a normal ritual for the students, on the steps of the All Saints’ Anglican Church located just opposite the school’s Trinity Street Location. The boys were engaging a regular practice which can be attested to any passer- by and motorist traversing in either Trinity Street or Church Street, on a daily basis—be it school time or recess time. This time it was before the start of the school day. These boys thought they must have begin their day with a nice game of gambling, a way to earn some extra cash which they planned to spend during the course of that school day. Mere seconds after I started to point my camera in the boys’ directions, the school bell began to ran. It had not yet been 8:30. After the boys were signaled that they were being photographed, they fled while hurling obscenities to the yours truly. 

The All Saints’ Anglican Church is fenced all around. But somehow, these boys always gain access to the compound of the church and situate themselves on the patio of the church just next to the back entrance, to gamble. One may say that that is a sacriliegous act on the part of these school children, to gamble on the doorsteps of a place of workship—a place which is very special to many in their hearts. It has indeed angered some members of the community.

The parish priest of the church, the Venerable Archdeacon George Spencer could not have been reached for a comment, however, reliable reports to this newspaper suggests that the priest had recognized the problem and reported the matter to the school’s head teacher but to no avail. Reliable reports to this publication also points to the fact that the head teacher seems fed up with the situation and agrees that the situation of these youngsters gambling has been spiraling out of control. 

The head teacher is one of the retired- rehired teachers in the system. Therefore, one begs to ask the question: What is the Department of Education doing to deal with this sore issue at this school? This issue of boys gambling on the doorsteps of a treasured place of worship in the town of New Amsterdam has now become a moral and religious issue. How are the education officials going to deal with the issues that exist at this ‘scorned’ school in the town in which everyone refers to as a ‘donkey college’? I understand that the school has only female teachers, and this adds a flavourful twist to the entire scenario. 

Furthermore, why has there been no intervention by the police to accost these young bandits in the making and nip this problem in the bud once and for all?

Courtesy of Suseran's website