Some teachers are having sex with their pupils in the nation's schools and they are allegedly getting away with it. Senior educators believe the red tape within the Teaching Service Commission Tribunal allows these miscreants to commit their crimes without fear. Because the officers in the commission are part-time workers, investigations against teachers take between five to ten years to complete, sources said. Those who are suspended, continue to receive full salary. Senior reporter RADHICA SOOKRAJ examines incidents of physical, sexual and mental abuse which some children face in the nation's schools.
Teacher's affair with Form Four student
Doodnath (not his real name) was just 28 years when he got a job as a teacher at a secondary school in the Naparima constituency. He was well liked and because of his youth, he seemed to have a bond with his students. But his charm was short-lived when he began courting a poor, but strikingly beautiful Form Four student from his class. The 15-year-old girl withdrew from her friends. She got closer to Doodnath and claimed she had to spend time with him because he gave her extra lessons. On Saturdays, Doodnath would be seen dropping off the girl to and from a library in San Fernando. They shared lunch together and on one occasion, during a field trip, Doodnath openly held her hands in front of her classmates.
The girl never admitted to having an affair with her teacher. She spoke highly of him, saying he gave her extra lessons. Other teachers turned a blind eye to the affair which continued long after the girl graduated. A school supervisor, who requested anonymity, said sexual, physical and mental abuse was rampant and was a reflection of the unravelling of society's moral fabric. She said primary school pupils were mortally afraid of being flogged in the classrooms, despite the passage of legislation to stop corporal punishment. She cited a recent example of a pupil of Woodland Hindu School who was injured when a senior school official allegedly deliberately squeezed his hand on a door. Nothing has come out of that matter. Within recent times, there were five cases in south Trinidad where teachers were accused of abusing children.
"We also have reports of teachers using racist slurs when speaking to pupils...This type of verbal abuse is hard to prove," the official said. She also noted that reports were becoming more alarming as recently, a female teacher from east Trinidad, who was separated from her husband, was said to be having sexual trysts with teenage boys from her school's football team. "This senior school official would allow the boys to sleep at her home...They would speak about how they were having sex with Miss." In January this year, another scandal rocked a primary school in east Trinidad when a male teacher was accused of putting a 13-year-old girl to sit on his desk before fondling her. Minister of Education Dr Tim Gopeesingh said more than 50 teachers were before the Ministry's Disciplinary Committee for various matters, among them physical and sexual abuse of students. He said issues of high teacher absenteeism and poor class attendance were being dealt with by his ministry.
ARE TEACHERS UNTOUCHABLE?
Meanwhile, sources in the Education Ministry said too often delinquent teachers were allowed to get away with their misconduct. A school supervisor, who requested anonymity, said the whole concept of misconduct was skewed in favour of the teachers. Abused children, he said, did not get ongoing counselling. "A teacher may be suspended if he or she is accused of bringing the Teaching Service into disrepute...If it can be proven that you were negligent with dealing with reports, a teacher could be suspended," the supervisor said. "Teachers may be suspended also for sexual misconduct and corporal punishment.
"Verbal abuse is difficult to prove...As a teacher you are not supposed to abuse your students physically or psychologically." He lamented that the ministry also takes progressive discipline, but said: "Too much time is taken with that." Explaining the process, the official said: "First you have to write the teacher and try to help them...The principal has to show that all efforts are made to help the teacher. "When you write them three times, you have to send a report up to the permanent secretary and an independent investigator is appointed to investigate," he said. "You have 30 days to complete investigation and then send it to Teaching Service Commission who will then handle it in their own time." Often disciplining delinquent teachers takes between five to ten years. Asked why, the official said: "Maybe it's because members of the Teaching Service Commission are not full-time workers, so they cannot give those issues priority."
'REVAMP TEACHING SERVICE COMMISSION'
Meanwhile, president of the National Parent/Teacher Association Zena Ramatali said legislation must be passed so that the Teaching Service Tribunal members were full-time workers. "We have been saying that the Teaching Service Commission needs to be revamped," she said. "We need a commission where people are full time so they have time to act and investigate...We have very qualified people in the commission, but you cannot have them on a part-time basis. "We need Government to look at the Teaching Service Commission and make it more efficient so that it secures the interest of the children. "When children's rights are violated, it affects them for the rest of their lives, so such teachers must be brought swiftly to justice."
Ramatali called on the ministry to do an audit of all the schools across the country. She also called for more guidance counsellors, clinical psychologists and social workers to deal with social issues within the schools. She said while due process must be followed, delinquent teachers must face the full brunt of the law. She said she was not in favour of suspension with full pay, particularly when the investigations take so many years to complete. "The tribunal must speed up on all cases pertaining to abuse, whether it be physical or sexual," Ramatali said. "If teachers are found guilty they should be removed...We also want retraining of teachers," Ramatali said. President of the T&T Unified Teachers Association Roustan Job could not be reached for comment and calls to his cellular phone went unanswered.
WHAT THE LAW SAYS
In October 3, 2000, the Children (Amendment) Act No 68 of 2000 was passed in the Senate to protect the rights of children. The Act abolished the right of a court to order corporal punishment as a penal sanction against children and also prohibited teachers from inflicting corporal punishment against children in Schools. Second Schedule, Part C No 10 of the Act reads: "Every person under the age of 18 has the right not to be treated with violence by a family member, a teacher, a public officer or by any other person." Meanwhile, the Children's Authority Act 2000 ( No 64 of 2000), passed in the Senate on November 2, 2000, also guarantees the rights of children.
The Children's Act, Chapter 46:01, updated to December 31, 2007, prevents cruelty to children and young people. Chapter 46:01 No 3 (1) of the Act reads: "If any person over the age of 16 who has custody, charge or care of any child or young person, wilfully assaults, ill-treats, neglects, abandons, or exposes the child or young person to cause the child or young person unnecessary suffering or injury to his health including loss of hearing, sight, or limb, or organ of the body or mental derangement, is on conviction of indictment to a fine of $10,000 or alternatively in default imprisonment for two years."