Princes Town mother Hailey-Ann Ramdath wants the Ministry of Education to install cameras in classrooms at the Jordan Hill Presbyterian School as she claims her six-year-old daughter was left traumatised after being beaten by a teacher.
In an interview yesterday, Ramdath said her daughter was afraid to attend school since returning home with a swollen forehead and scratches on her cheeks.
She said even though there was a meeting with the ministry, the school principal, the teacher and the T&T Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA), nothing was resolved. The incident happened on May 21, but the last meeting was held on June 1, she said.
According to the girl's father, Sean Darsoo, he and Ramdath would usually wait outside for their daughters to return from school and on the day in question they immediately noticed their six-year-old's bruised face.
"I saw scratches and her face and her forehead was swollen from the bruises. I asked her what happened and she said, 'Dad, Miss real slapped me on my face and pinch me and she wanted to spray air freshener in my mouth.' I said, 'You sure that is not a lie' and I asked her when she was settled down later and she said 'Yes,'" Darsoo said.
Ramdath said she went to the school the next day and was told by the school principal that the teacher was absent and they would have to wait until she resumed work after the weekend.
She said when she returned on the following Monday with her husband and daughter, the teacher was absent again, but school officials denied that the teacher had slapped the child. She said it was only when a meeting was held at the ministry's office in Rio Claro on June 1 that they met the teacher.
"We went to the Ministry of Education and met with the school supervisor who was helpful and listened to the story, but she explained that she needed an adult to say whether the teacher slapped my child. The children saw it and even my neighbour's son, who is also in second year, saw when she beat my daughter in front the class.
"For three hours we met at the ministry and it was a back and forth and we resolved nothing. She kept saying she never hit my child. The principal have a different story and two teachers there had another story. We came out that meeting with nothing except the guidance officer telling us we can take it to court. But they guaranteed us that our child would be safe but no guidance officer went to the school to see if she was really safe."
TTUTA's second vice-president Lynsley Doodhai said the matter had been resolved as both parents had indicated that they wanted the incident to die a natural death. He said he was surprised that the issue was raised again, adding that if the ministry wanted another investigation the association would welcome it. However, the association held the view that the teacher was innocent until proven guilty.