PARAMARIBO – There has been a rise in the number of burglaries at the nation’s schools since the start of the new school year. Some schools have been burglarized and vandalized multiple times. In some cases the perpetrators broke into the schools but did not take anything. They did, however, destroy desktops, furniture and other things. “There is a huge shortage of security guards which is why burglaries are happening on a regular basis,” said Giovanni Beek, chairman of the  Workers’ Union at the  Ministry of Education, Science and Culture.

“We are told to work with the tools at our disposal and that we must work independently. This is only possible for a short period but should not become a regular thing. One can’t guard a school if one can’t guarantee one’s own safety. If one of the guard gets an epileptic attack or does not feel so good because of diabetes and if there is no colleague around that person is as good as dead. A security guard’s life could also be in danger if he is attacked by a group of thieves or intruders,” said Beek who added that more security guards are needed.

Because of the shortage the security guards who are left must work extra shifts. “This is a structural shortage that was created by the ministry. The union keeps asking for more security guards but no new people are hired. The ministry stated that it would present a report on how to address these problems. Meanwhile we keep hearing about recent break-ins but if the ministry does not cooperate, there is very little that we can do,” said Beek.