Principal wants three ‘delinquent’ teachers removed

All efforts to have disciplinary action against them have so far failed. They have not showed up for classes again this new term and have been accused of “criminal neglect of their duty.” Newsday was told that due to the problem, on January 3 in a signed letter from the principal’s office to the Human Resource Department of the Ministry of Education (Secondary and Further), it was stated that the teachers “abandoned their duties by their failure to report to work from October 21, 2016 to present.” Newsday was shown several letters written and signed by the principal expressing disgust over their non attendance and the effect it has been having on students and other members of staff.

The teachers, it was said, last signed the school’s register on Monday October 24, 2016. The affected school was one of the many which was closed last term because of infrastructural problems.

The school, however, has since been deemed safe by officials of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Authority.

The letters which were copied to the Teaching Service Commission (TSC), the District School Supervisor and the Chief Education Officer stated: “In light of these officers’ neglect of their duty of care towards our nation’s children and the disrespect they have meted out to the administration in the school, their colleagues, our key stakeholders, the parents of our students and those charged with the responsibility for supervision in this district, I am requesting that these officers be replaced with immediate effect.” In the document, the principal argued that the time lost by the students “can never be regained” and that they have had “to suffer not being taught during the time that these officers abandoned their charges.” As a result of their continued absence, the principal declared that other members of staff were now burdened with the task of “supervising these abandoned students” thereby “creating stresses and strains that were quite onerous.” Contacted yesterday, TTUTA’s president Lynsley Doodhai told Newsday he was unaware of the issue.

“I know the school had a problem and it was repaired but up to last night we had an executive council meeting and nothing like that about the teachers came up,” Doodhai said.