Teachers blank evening classes

THE evening shift staff at the Central school, where a teacher was allegedly indecently assaulted, was reportedly abstaining from teaching classes yesterday as they demanded further counselling sessions. The Ministry of Education assured that it was working to provide counselling to those who required it. One source close to the staff told Newsday that there were meetings all day on Monday with the school supervisor and a guidance counsellor. Yesterday, however, he claimed that while the morning shift staff taught their classes as normal, the evening shift staff stayed in the staff room, refusing to teach. He said the teachers’ actions were as a result of the failure to reach a resolution about further counselling measures to be provided to them.

He added that on Monday teachers were extremely emotional, with some crying as they expressed themselves. He said it was clear that some teachers required additional counselling. Ministry officials, however, denied knowledge that the teachers were withholding their services. Newsday was told that another meeting was taking place with the staff to determine their counselling needs. Steve Williams, director of the ministry’s Student Support Services Unit (SSSU), told Newsday that the ministry was willing to provide whatever type of counselling is required by the alleged victim.

It will either be personal counselling or counselling from a hired agency. Williams said six teachers will receive special counselling, while the other members of staff have already received first line debriefing. He said the SSSU will await word from the school principal on whether more persons requested further counselling. The school has approximately 33 members of staff and 700 students on each shift. A 14-year-old boy is expected to reappear before a Couva magistrate tomorrow for allegedly committing indecent assault against a 25-year-old teacher of the school. The student was placed on $25,000 bail.