Gang invasion at Linden school leaves teacher injured

Mar 22, 2023 News

Kaieteur News – Teachers, students and parents of the Harmony Secondary School located at Wismar, Linden (Region 10) staged a protest on Tuesday demanding better security at the school while denouncing violence.

Blood drips from the face of an injured Harmony Secondary School teacher.

On Monday, a teen gang invaded the school and injured a teacher. The invasion is reportedly linked to a fight between two students of the school, one of whom is reportedly a member of the teen gang. Kaieteur News understands that one of the two students involved in the fight is hospitalized.

The gang invasion has left both the students and teachers traumatized and fearful for their lives.

Teachers told Kaieteur News that several teenagers, who are said to be members of a gang ran into the school, armed with scissors, wood and a knife and attacked a student, who was unable to identify the student who was involved in the fight with their alleged gang member.

The attackers while on a wild chase to find their target injured a teacher to her face.

“They ran into the school, ran pass the security and kicked open the door, leading to the auditorium, hit one of my colleagues in her face and it started to bleed,” one teacher related.

Fearful for their lives, the teachers locked themselves away in a room to protect themselves from the angry teens. The school is located a short distance from the Wismar Police Station.

Police were eventually alerted and along with officials from the Department of Education, a visit was made to the school and an investigation launched.

Kaieteur News understands that Monday’s attack was not the first gang attack at the school.

Meanwhile, during Tuesday’s protest, teachers, students and parents said the environment is unsafe and noted that the school’s compound has no proper security in place. The security guard stationed at the institution is unarmed and according to them, unable to prove any form of solid protection against similar attacks.

Protestors hold placards outside the Harmony Secondary School, Wismar, Linden.

Representatives of the Guyana Teacher’s Union (GTU) and members of the Wismar community also participated in the protest.

“We are calling for a police officer to be there at the school because these young men from (name of community given), this is not the first time, not the second time, not the third time something like this occur and something proper is yet to be done,” one teacher related.

Investigations into the incident are continuing.

• Gang, invasion, Linden, the Harmony Secondary School, Wismar