Is this what it now takes?

Schools have always been seen as the second homes of children, owing to the fact that they spend a lot of their waking hours there, aside from the education they need to equip them for when they go out into the world. So it is but natural to think that they are safe within the walls of these institutions, right? Apparently, that is no longer true. We all know about the bullying incident at Colegio San Agustin, where the apparent victim fought back his tormentors, and was punished for it. But as he was being detained at one of the faculty offices, the father of one of the alleged bullies come barging in, slapping the victim, hurling invectives and tops it all off by drawing a gun and pointing it to his face! All this is done in front of faculty and security personnel, who did nothing, not even trying to detain the father for what is clearly a criminal act! A criminal case has finally been filed against the parent, who is still in hiding. So much for his bravado!

Now, we have a case where a female student from UST is walking inside the FEU campus in Morayta, coming from watching a film – probably required viewing – when she is blocked and cornered by a group of females in FEU uniforms. One suddenly pulls out a pepper spray and uses it on the student, after which she is stabbed several times! All this happening inside the FEU campus! She is taken to the hospital for treatment of her injuries, while the criminals get away. It is later revealed that one of the attackers is a graduating nursing student! Just like wannabe lawyers killing their neophytes, I guess.

But what could have been the motive or reason behind such a crime? She was not robbed. Is this a case of school rivalry taken to the extreme, like the foolishness of an Ateneo-La Salle kind of hatred? I thought only immature men with small brains engaged in such behavior. Are women getting into the act as well? I never thought UST and FEU were at each other’s throats! Or are these criminals who have infiltrated the schools to prey on the students, because of the obvious weaknesses and shortcomings of school security, not to mention apathy from the schools themselves?

Guns, bodyguards, pepper spray and knives. What’s next? Rifles, grenades, platoons? Is the playground turning into a killing zone, a battlefield? Are the marbles transforming into pillboxes, and hairbrushes and lip gloss changing into pepper spray and knives? Are schools the next victim-rich environment for criminals, both from outside and from within? Is the PNP right in saying that schools must now have the same security set-up as airports – metal walk-through scanners and X-ray machines – to screen out weapons and the like? Is this what it now takes, just to make the children safe? It definitely is a far cry from when I was in school. The most fights one could ever get into were written in slam books! Of course, there was no internet then, thank God!

I believe schools should do more in terms of security for the students. And they should also take a tougher stand on incidents like bullying and crime. I hate to think that all they’re after is the tuition fee, and the kids could all go to hell. If they continue this apathetic attitude, then that’s probably where the students will be headed.