Monrovia – Madam Rita-Rose Ireland, the mother of Precious Pearl Ireland, the teenage girl who got killed one year after the fatal shooting incident at the Cyber Ed Christian School is calling on parents, school authorities, and policymakers to come together and find ways to prevent campus-based violence as it is gradually becoming a national emergency in the country.
On April 13, 2021, a student holding a 9mm pistol sneaked into Cyber-Ed Christian School and shot and killed little Precious, his schoolmate. She was 16-year-old when she died.
It is a year since the shooting incident and a foundation, the Precious Pearl Ireland Foundation has been launched to prevent other students across the country from falling prey to such a regretful incident.
Giving the overview of the foundation at the Monrovia City Hall, Madam Ireland said their decision to establish a foundation in Precious’ name is to keep alive her memories so that all students will know that campus-based violence is not unique to Precious Pearl Ireland alone and that they too (all students) are potential victims if the right effort is not made.
“The culture of gun proliferation in Liberian schools has been unheard of until the fatal death of Precious Pearl Ireland on the campus of the Cyber Ed Christian School on 13 April 2021,” she stated.
Madam Ireland added: “The late Precious died as a result of being shot by one of her schoolmates who was illegally in possession of a firearm on campus. Precious was a victim of trust – trusted that her school campus was a child-friendly environment at all times; trusted that all parents represented a protective shield and guaranteed safety for all children; trusted all other kids without conditions because she believed that their respective parents instill in them the culture of respect for others, those values her parents made her subscribe to; and trusted that kids would be protected by society through moral and legitimate laws promulgated for the common good of all.”
. We have been victimized as a family. Our child suffers gum violence on campus.”
Madam Ireland later told FrontPage Africa that her family has been the victim of campus-based violence but the foundation she says will prevent other families from being victims as well.
“God has given me the passion to start what I am doing,” Madam Ireland said.
She added: “Some parents lived in denier when their children do such bad acts but until we start to talk about this, for parents to raise and start to contribute toward doing something to save our children, we will keep experiencing violence among children.”
Zero Tolerance for Substance Abuse on Campuses
As an advocacy group, Madam Ireland says the foundation will seek the need for what she terms tougher punishment on students that will take to the school drug or alcohol.
“There should be zero tolerance for substance abuse. Zero tolerance for alcohol because when we are working hard and when we sent our children to school with our money, we expect our children to be saved there but our children have become addicts on campuses,” she said.
Madam Ireland added: “So, these are the things we are advocating for. I’m a victim of it, my daughter has died because of campus-based violence, the first time of its kind in Liberia.
Spend Quality Time with your Children
Also, Madam Ireland has stressed the need for parents to spend what she terms as quality time with their children. With that, she said parents will be able to understand their children more.
“I will be able to talk to other parents so we can come together and see what we can do. We need to find quality time to spend with our children,” Madam Ireland said.
She added: “Some parents will say my children are not taking drugs so I am not interested in it but once somebody’s child next door to you is affected. It should serve as a deterrent to you because when your children become ministers tomorrow, these same children taking drugs will be criminals and it will be an insecurity to you. This is a state of emergency we have in our country.”