THE STABBING death of a student at the Ferncourt High School has left member of parliament for the constituency, Lisa Hanna, calling for a renewed push towards conflict resolution in schools.

Hanna, who is also the opposition spokesperson on youth, told The Gleaner yesterday that there needs to be "an ongoing and systematic approach to making schools not only safer but also a rewarding experience".

"We have the unfortunate situation of hardened criminals passing through our schools and where children resort to weapons as a way of settling dispute. It is a cause for great concern," Hanna said.

Equip schools

On Wednesday, 16-year-old Garon Jones, a grade-11 student of Ferncourt, was stabbed to death on the school compound by a student from another school who entered the compound and chased him.

The incident was the latest in a number of attacks on school compounds, which have forced Education Minister Andrew Holness to direct that all schools should be equipped with metal detectors.

Yesterday, Hanna said, "It is going to take serious hands and hearts to address this problem. The future is going to be very bleak unless we cauterise it now."

She added: "The system is not working. We now need to develop a system where we can monitor every child to ensure that they can come out as meaningful citizens."