Teacher to pupil 'love letter' sparks concern at TML

[weary1969]

By Joel Julien joel.julien@trinidadexpress.com

A LOVE LETTER allegedly written by a male school teacher to a female pupil has sparked concern among parents at the Trinidad Muslim League's (TML) primary school in San Fernando.

A standard one male teacher of the primary school is said to have penned a love letter to an 11-year-old female pupil of the school, according to a parent who spoke to the Express yesterday on condition of anonymity.

The parent said the schoolgirl's parents are said to have discovered the letter.

The issue was raised during a meeting of the Parent Teachers Association (PTA) at the school's Prince Albert Street compound on Monday.

Azid Ali, general secretary of the TML, yesterday confirmed that an investigation had been conducted on a male teacher at the primary school following an allegation of misconduct.

Ali said after an allegation was made against the teacher, a report was submitted to the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) for a proper investigation to be performed.

"We were told of an allegation, we took all the information and submitted a report so that an investigation could be conducted above board. We did not want the allegation to be blown out of proportion or anyone to feel we had anything to hide," Ali said in a telephone interview yesterday.

Ali said he heard of the allegation of a love letter but nobody had produced the evidence.

Yolanda Morales-Carvalho, media coordinator for the Ministry of Education, yesterday said the Education Ministry had conducted an investigation into the incident following advice from the TSC and that the Ministry had completed its investigation, which was conducted over a few days.

"There was an allegation that the male teacher made a comment, a verbal comment, to another teacher about a female student," Morales-Carvalho said.

"He was not suspended. No disciplinary action was taken against him but we did ask him to cease from reporting for duty until the investigation was completed," she said.

There was no evidence to find the male teacher guilty of any wrongdoing, Morales-Carvalho said.

Morales-Carvalho said anyone with evidence, including the alleged love letter, should produce the information to the Education Ministry.

Hyacinth Guy, head of the TSC, said all the proper protocol was followed.

"An allegation of misconduct was made, we reported it to the Ministry of Education and they did an initial investigation which proved there were no grounds for a full-scale investigation into the matter," Guy said.

Told that there are parents expressing concern that the male teacher is still employed at the school, Ali said:

"We understand the concerns of the parents but we have no choice but to follow instructions. There is no need to panic. The principal is aware of the circumstances, the vice principal is aware, the senior teachers are aware and we have put all necessary precautions in place."

"We are not going on a witch hunt but we will be observing to make sure nothing untoward happens. Parents can rest assured that there is nothing to fear," Ali said.

[Bitter]

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[weary1969]

It is alleged that they setting up the man the Principal. It is the Tunupuna school of the south.

[weary1969]

PTA urges parents to sign petition against teacher
Alleged love letter to 11-year-old pupil...
By Joel Julien joel.julien@trinidadexpress.com

THE PARENT Teacher Association (PTA) of the Trinidad Muslim League (TML) primary school in San Fernando is now urging parents to sign a petition to get rid of a male teacher who is alleged to have penned a love letter to an 11-year-old pupil.

The petition is expected to be circulated from 7 a.m. today outside the school's Prince Albert Street compound.

A memo advising of the need to sign the petition was given to parents when they arrived at the school yesterday.

The Express was able to obtain a copy of the memo from a concerned parent yesterday.

"With reference to the Annual General Meeting on Monday 12 December, 2011 concerning the exit strategy of said individual we wish to advise you that an attempt was made to discuss the matter but he refused to meet," the memo stated yesterday.

The Ministry of Education, after conducting an initial investigation into the allegation of misconduct by the male teacher, determined there was no evidence to warrant a full scale investigation into the matter.

No disciplinary action was taken against the male teacher as a result.

The Executive Committee of the school's PTA held a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the issue.

Following this meeting, it was "unanimously decided" to petition Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh "to invoke Section 5 of the Education Act of Trinidad and Tobago to have the individual removed form our school".

Meanwhile, Justin De Freitas, the Industrial Relations Officer (IRO) at the San Fernando office of the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) in a telephone interview with the Express yesterday, dismissed the claims as "mischief and harassment".

He described the report as just the latest in a long list of attacks against the teacher , who, he said, joined the staff of the TML primary in 2005.

"This report of a love letter is totally untrue," he said. "What happened is a female teacher came to the school one morning and said the male teacher called her and said he was in love with a child at the school."

The female teacher made a report to the school's principal, De Freitas said.

Following the report by the female teacher an investigation was launched into the conduct of the male teacher, De Freitas said. He further stated that an initial investigation were launched by the Education Ministry which determined there was no grounds for a full-scale investigation into the matter.

"His name was cleared by the Education Ministry but they have set about to still tarnish his name," De Freitas noted.

On Monday, the issue of the love letter was raised in a meeting of the Parents Teachers Association at the school.

"They continue to torture this young man without reason. They are trying to make the young man look like some kind of devil," De Freitas said.