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But before they build those schools, the ministry has to respond to what's been happening in high schools in the west. Last night we told you about the suicide of a 15 year old early on Monday morning in San Ignacio – and there was another teen suicide in Benque shortly before that. Faber says his ministry is responding:…

Hon. Patrick Faber - Minister of Education

"I sympathize with the families; I believe that they're two such deaths, one in Benque and one in San Ignacio. So I do sympathize. The ministry continues to do all it can do at the secondary level, all of those high schools have counselling systems, the ministry and the association of secondary school counsellors; they work tirelessly to try to ensure that there is that kind of support for our students at the secondary level. I emphasize that it is not a job for the counsellor alone or the ministry to push alone. These things that happen to our children are reflections of what is happening in the larger society. So it is everybody's business as we say to be there to support our children."

Jules Vasquez

"But 2 suicides and attempted suicide as well at Mopan Tech, one in the history of that area Benque Viejo in particular; one has the sense that there might be, I don't want to say epidemic but a situation that requires urgent crisis style intervention. Is that something your ministry is looking at?"

Hon. Patrick Faber - Minister of Education

"Indeed and we do have; but that's another initiative that school resourcing is looking at; bringing the counsellors together in a tighter nit to provide that kind of response when we do see a kind of crisis situation happening in one particular area."

Dr. Candy Armstrong - Director, Education Support Services

"There is presently some response. We have a counsellor in the Cayo district who is actually working along with the school system in terms of support. What we also realise too is over the past couple of years we have seen; it's not that these incidents are new but they really are coming to the fore front and our children and youths are really being challenged with certain things that are elements of what happened in our society, what they experience at home."