Damage to teacher-student bond

THE EDITOR: Within recent times, Dr Selwyn Cudjoe has made unsubstantiated allegations against UWI, accusing the institution of racial bias, against teachers of Indian descent. As a consequence, the relationships within some classrooms have been disturbed for both teachers and students. Race has now become an issue for consideration where previously it did not exist. In some situations distrust and suspicion have arisen to damage the teacher-student bond that is essential for learning to take place. You cannot learn if you distrust or despise your teacher, so instead of helping low achievers, Dr Cudjoe’s idle talk can aggravate their plight.

I hasten to add that Dr Cudjoe has not been the only one to make unsubstantiated claims based on race. Dr Cudjoe is a director of our Central Bank, and that makes a tremendous difference to me. In a country where both the President and the Prime Minister have declared their commitment to national unity, is it correct or moral to retain Dr Cudjoe on the board of the Central Bank while he continues to make reckless and unfounded utterances? I ask the Hon Prime Minister to consider whether a person adhering to Dr Cudjoe’s ideology should be paid by taxpayers to maintain a position of Director of the Central bank?

DAVID SUBRAN
Port-of-Spain