Barely a year -after the untimely demise of 14-year-old Precious Pearl Ireland, mysteriously at the Cyber-Ed Christian School of Excellence in Congo Town, a group of students are calling for laws that will prevent students from carrying weapon on campuses.
Little Precious Ireland sustained live bullet wound in forehead on the premises of the school from fellow student Jovanus Turay a son of Liberian International Movie Actor Sylvanus Turay, on early morning April 13, 2021.
One year on, Students early Wednesday morning, April 13, 2022 under the banner of the Precious Ireland Foundation petitioned the Ministry of Education calling for safe school environment for students in the country.
In the Position statement presented to the Ministry of education stated: where are our futures? ” the premature death of Precious Ireland has left us asking; what are the functions of securities posted at our school”, they wonder.
Student Terrion Nimely reading the petition statement further noted that Precious Ireland as a young lady who could have gone on to aid her community and her people in so many ways, if her life was preserved.
Holding placards, wearing T-shirts, with various inscriptions about Students Safety, while on Campus, some of the students recounted negative experiences with school officers, while blaming schools administrators for the unsafe environment of students on campus.
For her part, mother of the deceased and founder of the Precious Pearl Ireland Foundation, Rita Rose Ireland, in a remark added the untimely death of her daughter, left a total vaccum in the hearts of the Irelands, Turay’s family and Cyber Ed Christian school system.
She recounted memories of her beloved daughter, noting that no amount of money, tears, demonstrations, accusation and criticism or blame shifting can bring Precious back, but rather a driven tools, which give birth to the establishment of the Precious Pearl Ireland Foundation.
Madam Ireland said, the Foundation, which was founded after the tragic death of her 14-years old daughter, aimed taking some deeper look into beyond the situation that led to the death of her late daughter Ms. Precious Pearl Ireland and trends of happening on other campuses, and how to preserved the safety of students.
“One thing that resonated was the vulnerability of Children across some campuses, therefore, our desire is to look at the bigger pictures of how we can prevent what happened to Precious from happening to other children and to make schools safe for children, something that led to our motivation to established a Foundation in Precious’ memory- The Precious Pearl Ireland Foundation, She said.
In brief words of sorrows, as part of the Solidarity match in memory of the late Precious Pearl Ireland and awareness rise to ensure a safe- environment for students, Montserrado County, District # 6, Representative, Rev. Samuel R. Enders, expressed empathy with the bereaved family, and join the Clarion calls to ensured safe- environment for students.
Rep. Enders, said he has already propose a bill called the ‘Precious Pearl Ireland School Safety Bill. ‘on the table of the House of Representatives, which will ensured the safety of students on campuses and also to avoid the reoccurrence of the shooting incident at Cyber-Ed School of Excellence, that led to the untimely demise of Precious Pearl Ireland.
According to Rep. Enders, the already on the high table of the Liberian Parliament, when enacted into law will allow Safe School zone for Students.
He said part of the bill is to enforce the drugs law for school-goings kids, and added that, during school time, if anybody is caught with drugs, the police will be immediately be informed to move and search and, “if you have a scissor or any harmful weapon it will be taken away.” And the student will face the full weight of the law.
