SOME of Guyana's future leaders, politicians, lawyers, doctors, educators, economists, nurses, teachers etc., will be writing their examinations in about a week's time.

Each of them in his or her own right deserves a break in order to enter the examinations unperturbed and in an atmosphere befitting the solace demanded by the occasion.

The nation's children are due to write the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) and the General Certificate of Examination (GCE) at centres throughout the country, and the results of these will of course dictate the life ahead of them as they enter the wider uncompromising and competitive world.

With the future of the nation's children at stake, is it too much to ask for sensible and responsible behaviour from those in our society who are hell bent on creating chaos and confusion and driving fear in our children?

We believe it is never too much to ask for sobriety in the society as our children prepare themselves to master their own destiny.

As if they were responsible, our school children have been made to live through numerous traumatic experiences since the post-election violence started.

They have been targeted at schools and on the East Coast highway while on their way to school and back home and some of them have even been beaten and robbed.

On Monday, classes at several schools in Georgetown and around the country were cancelled following rumours of persons attempting to and even invading school premises. Police said a gang of boys armed with cutlasses stormed the Lusignan Primary School on the East Coast threatening teachers and students and causing them to flee.

This led to parents moving frantically for the safe retrieval of their children.

We fully support the call by the Ministry of Education for those responsible for these actions to desist from doing so in order to allow for uninterrupted classes, and an environment free from fear and tension. Quite rightly the ministry says that these actions could adversely affect the performance of the students at the upcoming examinations.

We must not allow our children to become the pawns of others with ulterior motives. Our children deserve a break and it is our duty to do everything we can to ensure that they are not caught in the parasites' dragnet.

It is imperative for us to recognise that those who foment the "devil's brew" have already gone past their usefulness in society and mankind as a whole.

We must not allow them to disturb the minds of our children with their evil actions.

We believe that evil is that which perverts the mind and shackles the conscience and school children must not be subjected to this.

When we allow this to happen, we would not be doing our sacred duty to our children whose survival in the future depends on how well they prepare the path that leads to that world.

We believe that humanity shows itself in all its intellectual splendour during the tender age. It happens as the first sun breaks the dawn and a flower in the first unfolding of its petals.

We as responsible people must respect religiously, these first indications of individuality in order for our children to bear the torch of wisdom and face the world with dignity.

We say give them a break. They deserve it.