Yet another school has been robbed as it now seems thieves have made it their duty to prey on these institutions around the island.

The latest break-in occurred at the Ascot Primary School in Portmore, St Catherine, which became the third school to be broken into in four days.

Police reports are that a group of masked men went on to the compound and tied up the watchman before gaining entry to a room by cutting through a steel grille. The culprits reportedly made off with a vault containing documents and cash.

took the vault

Principal Jean Fearon told THE WEEKEND STAR that the thieves also broke into her office and stole computer equipment. "They dug out a vault which was embedded in the floor and took it away, they went into my office and took two flat-screen monitors and some cash," she said.

Claude Hamilton, Chairman of the Ascot Primary School Board, said it is not the first time criminals have attack the school, as gunmen even held up and robbed a teacher of a motor vehicle on the school grounds. He said it was a tidy sum in the vault.

On Tuesday night, thieves reportedly broke into the Prospect High School in Portland, and also made off with computer and other equipment. The break-in will be a setback to students sitting external exams as their school-based assessments were being stored on the computers.

Meanwhile, the recent spate of robberies has led the Ministry of Education to express panic at the situation, saying those responsible for the acts are sabotaging the future of the nation's children.

Director of communications for ministry, Colin Blair, said this is something we cannot afford to let happen. "We have noticed an increasing trend where schools are being targeted by predators.

We're asking such persons to leave our schools alone. We cannot afford for the future of the country to be thwarted by these people. Schools are for the development of the country and our children," Blair told THE WEEKEND STAR yesterday.

Asked if there were any plans for combating the trend, Blair said there are certain security measures which are being looked at but it will take a while before they can be implemented. Consequently, Blair urged residents to help protect schools within their communities.