HGP Nightly News – A 10-year-old child sat through class with a loaded firearm hidden in his schoolbag, a weapon belonging to his father that somehow made its way from home to desk. No one noticed until a clicking sound gave him away. Now, one parliamentarian is using the frightening incident to deliver a pointed message to parents across Guyana, you cannot afford to look the other way.
MP Nima Flue-Bess took to social media on Thursday, March 12, to urge families to take a more active role in monitoring their children, especially in a country where, she argued, institutions cannot be relied upon to do the job for them.
“Please be reminded we are living in Guyana where you cannot rely on any system to reform your child,” Flue-Bess wrote. She warned that children placed in state-run facilities could be exposed to negative experiences and stressed that parents must remain engaged.
“Check your child’s bag, pay attention to their activities, talk with them and engage with their teachers. Scold them for wrongdoings and cheer them for doing good,” she added, framing the issue as one of basic parental duty.
The incident that sparked her comments unfolded at St. Agnes Primary School on Monday. According to reports, the 10-year-old pupil allegedly took his father’s licensed firearm from home and concealed it in his schoolbag. Classmates alerted a teacher after hearing a clicking sound coming from the child’s desk. The weapon was discovered beneath the desk, and police were called to secure it.
Investigations are ongoing into how the firearm was accessed and how it ended up inside a classroom full of children.
