College student threatens to jump off roof

By Terresa McCall
Reporter-SKNVibes.com

~~Adz:Right~~ BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – PANDEMONIUM broke out at the Harrison College last week when a student of the learning institution was on the roof and had threatened to jump off.

According to the Barbados Nation, the 18-year-old Prefect climbed to the top of the building and threatened to take her own life by jumping there from.

The media house reported that the young lady remained there in excess of an hour, and while counsellors attempted to “talk her down”, she threatened to jump whenever she was approached by an adult.

“Hundreds of students were taken from the school’s main building to the ‘A’ playing field on the eastern side of the school, adjacent to Weymouth ‘B’ and directly behind the Transport Board Bus Depot, until the student was brought down,” the Nation reported.

It also reported that several attempts were made to get the young lady to come down from the roof, but it was not until a number of her friends interceded that she conceded.

The Principal of the school, Winston Crichlow, as reported by the Nation, said the incident has left everyone emotionally disturbed and he advised the students that “these things happen in life”, and noted that students needing or wanting counselling are free to seek assistance from the counsellors.

“Crichlow said he called in two counsellors from the Ministry of Education.  Other officials from that ministry also came on the scene.  In his address to the students, he said, he told them that ‘these are things that happen in life’ and advised them that anyone wanting counselling could seek the services of the counsellors,” the Barbados Nation reported.

After the near two-hour ordeal, the school day was cut short and students were allowed to leave at 1:45 p.m. while the suicidal student was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where she was reportedly admitted.

The Nation reported that up to press time, the reasons for the student’s actions were not known.