Education Minister Philip Jackson has expressed concern over the state of youth violence in St. Vincent and the Grenadines after a student of secondary school died after he had been discovered with multiple stab wounds over the last weekend.
Jackson speaking on a radio programme here, said that Tafari Browne, a Form 3, died Monday at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH).
Media reports said that the student was found in Arnos Vale on Friday with multiple stab wounds and had been in the Intensive Care Unit of the MCMH up to the time of his death.
Jackson said he had spoken with Browne’s grandmother and planned to contact the student’s mother, who was in England, offering condolences to the family as well as the student’s classmates.
The Education Minister said that he had been informed by the chief education officer that while many students were grieving, officials had also encountered ‘a very heartbreaking case of a lack of empathy’ among some students.
‘And that really shook me up. I have to admit it to the entire nation. She said that the lack of empathy in the passing of a fellow student was very heartbreaking for them,’ Jackson said, adding that ministry officials and counsellors were at the school to support the community.
Jackson called youth violence a national challenge and said the death had made him question whether adults fully understood what young people were experiencing.
‘This one really make me aware that the problem is much, much deeper than any of us probably imagine,’ he said, urging a broad response involving civil society, religious communities, government agencies, schools and communities.
‘It’s going to take a serious effort,’ he said, calling for young people to have safe places to express themselves. He said at schools, greater attention should be given to values education, conflict resolution, empathy, teamwork and community spirit.
‘Wherever we are, let’s try to keep the peace, advance and promote peace, and be open to our young people,’ he said.
In a statement, Youth Minister, Kaschaka Cupid, desscribed Browne’s death as ‘a heartbreaking tragedy.
‘As Minister of Youth, I am deeply saddened by the loss of another young life to violence. We cannot allow these acts to become normalised in our society. We must take a firm stance as a nation,’he said, adding that ‘government, families, schools, communities, and young people must work together to confront violence, promote peaceful conflict resolution, and protect our youth.
‘This is a national responsibility, and the time to act is now. We must unite to build a safer St. Vincent and the Grenadines where our young people can live and thrive without fear,’ he said in the statement.