Lycée pro, Alain Richardson 's opinion

The tragic events that took place last week on the outskirts and in the “Lycée professionnel” which resulted in the halting of all school activities there and the destabilization of the school community could have had consequences of unsuspected gravity, and far beyond the amount of persons hurt and the seriousness of the wounds.
The rapid control of the situation by the gendarmes and police should not hide the following facts:
- Foreign persons to the school community have invaded the outskirts and were able to enter the walls of the high school to attack and settle scores with high school students.
- These persons came armed: machetes and it is confirmed at least one gun.
I strongly condemn this violence and the repeated violation of places expected to be sanctuaries: our institutions of knowledge and learning, of transmission of values of citizenship, of training and of equipping of our youth with the tools for social and professional success. Yet it is sad to observe that here in Saint-Martin, our school system fails more and more to reach that goal and carry out successfully its mission because of the lack of material, human and educational resources, the lack of autonomy but also the fact that it remains not adapted to the sociolinguistic realities of our island.
I strongly support the head of this school in the way this crisis was handled but also the teachers and staff for exercising their right of withdrawal. Many supervisors of the “Lycée” and in particular of the “collège” have tried unsuccessfully to alert the Collectivité on what they have been observing and on the serious threats that weigh on the security, the serenity and on the working conditions of our pupils in these schools.
I encourage our young people and especially our students and pupils, to stay focused on their education, to increase their efforts to succeed despite the difficulties. I say to them: do not let no one turn you away from your goals in life, do not be intimidated by those who want to destabilize you and divert you from your way forward, resist the pressure and the call to join gangs and or to use illicit drugs, etc..
To the parents I say, show more interest in your children and in what they do in school as well as beyond. I want to remind them that the family must be the primary educator of our children: Live up to your part of responsibility and assert your authority.
It is urgent to address these problems that exist in the vicinity of our institutions of learning (Lycée, college, primary schools, library, sport parks, etc.):
- The constant squatterization of the outskirts by persons, who have no reasons to be there,
- The drug consumption and the various illegal trafficking,
- The harassment and activities of luring of minors, - etc.
Beyond the emotion, and the emergency measures that are and will be taken just for a few days and or weeks (such as the implementation of a psychological listening cell, the increasing of the visibility of the police and gendarmes on the outskirts, the increasing of the amounts of unannounced controls of the bags of students and pupils) what matters now is to deal once and for all with the causes at their roots. The time of cosmetic solutions is over, because this only worsens the situation by the image this gives, a show of weakness and a kind of indifference.
One fact is certain, all the perpetrators of the attacks and the violence of last week at the lycée, as well as a growing number of young persons involved in the too many delinquency acts (robberies, hold-ups, etc.) and unfortunately even blood crimes on the island have been on the benches of these same schools and may even of this lycée. It is obvious, that these youngsters have not benefited or received the knowledge or the values of citizenship and may be they have not received either any training or tools that would have equip them to face the social and professional challenges. It is sad to say but we are feeling the direct effects of school failure, social failure and societal failure. Gangs, consumption and drug trafficking, carrying and usage of weapons, antisocial behaviors, delinquency and crime feed and make their bed on school failure, on the marginalization and exclusion of our young people from the jobs market.
The State of France and the Collectivité can no longer show a blind eye and hide behind the cost of effectively treating the roots of these social and societal problems of our youth, of which these latest events are only another hick-up.
The issues of education, training, preparation and equipment to citizenship, access to employment and professional opportunities; the issues of empowering and equipping our youth to be more responsible and of valuing them as the greatest asset for the future of this territory demand clear and profound answers.
The growing numbers of our young people, who fall victim of school dropout and school failure (academic, social and societal) deserve another chance in life before they fall in criminal activities and other violent acts. Those who have already fallen deserve a way out beyond the prison.
The year during which I was at the head of this Collectivité, two of my battles were to have implanted in St-Martin a Center of the Regiment of Adapted Military Service (RSMA) and a school of second chance (école de la deuxième chance). These institutions coupled with the mentorship project that I presented (Le Parrainage) are essential for St-Martin because they are the best tools and policies that can help to save our youth who are marginalize because of school and social failure. Unfortunately, the State of France too concerned about its budget and faithful to his policy of 'abandonment of St Martin refused to grant these to our territory. What we now experience is only the consequences.
Saving our youth will cost, but the price that pays St-Martin and that will be paid in the future are even greater if real and profound solutions and answers are not implemented.
Alain Richardson.
Former President of the community.