Parents of students attending the Number 8 Secondary School on the West Coast of Berbice, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) on Thursday picketed the school in protest over the return of a violent male student, who was allowed to reenter the school after a mere five-day suspension for beating a teacher.
The student had beaten a female teacher last week in the school’s compound.
The teacher was allegedly put in a vice and dragged around the school compound before two male teachers came to her rescue. The teacher was at the time attempting to protect a second form student from the physical advances of a male Fifth Form boy, whom she had identified as the person who had removed money from the teacher’s bag.
Alexis Melville, who operates a canteen at the school and who also joined the picketers, said she witnessed the entire incident. According to her, as the female student was being questioned by the teacher, the Fifth Form boy turned his attention on the girl, who is three years his junior.
In an attempt to protect the female student, the teacher stepped between the girl and the advancing fifth former. According to Melville, the teacher was then punched and then put in a vice where she was gagged on the ground.
She explained that it took two male teachers to release the female teacher from the male student’s vice.
“When I look at the teacher she was scared and shaking. You could see the marks on her ear from where she was dragged and the marks on her noise you could see. The two male teachers were trying to get him out of the compound and he went by the gate and picked up two lemonade bottles and pelt one to hit the teacher and it hit another and caused her to bleed.”
The student then broke the second bottle and threatened the teachers by saying, “I gone done you dance.”
Reports are the two male teachers were successful in getting the student out of the compound. However, he later reappeared with a piece of wood in his hand and continued his tirade with obscene language.
<<<INews>>> understands that shortly after the male student left the school compound, his mother came to the school in a rage accusing the teacher of beating her son.
The matter has since been reported to the Police and the Schools Welfare Department which took disciplinary action against the student and suspended him for five days.
The suspension expired on Wednesday and the student showed up at school on Thursday morning. Head of the Number 8 Secondary Parents’ Teachers Association, Shivanie Devi Poone, told this publication that the student walked into the school unaccompanied by his parents as is required for a student returning from suspension.
“He did not even go to the head teacher nor went to apologise to the teacher.”
He was later approached by the school’s headmistress and asked about his parents but responded by saying that the welfare officials were coming to the school.
After the conversation with the head teacher, the boy was seen leaving the school compound. Poone added that stronger disciplinary action is needed in the matter.
Meanwhile, the injured teacher told this publication that she is scared of the student and has asked to be transferred to another school. The school has 35 females and three male teachers, who had threatened to walk out had the student remained in school.
Poone added the parents will continue their protest until the teachers at the Number 8 Secondary feel safe and proper disciplinary action is taken.
<<<INews>>> was told that when the student returned to school on Thursday, he was bragging that the head teacher could not expel him since he is the great nephew of a senior Education Ministry official. (Andrew Carmichael)
