“Mad Man” runs Secondary School for two weeks
MARCH 11, 2011 | BY KNEWS | FILED UNDER NEWS
http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2011/03/11/%E2%80%9Cmad-man%E2%80%9D-runs-secondary-school-for-two-weeks/
The bogus Education Officer is taken into custody.*changes school hours
*administers corporal punishment
* demands entire school sing Happy Birthday for him
Officials at the Ministry of Education are baffled as to how a man, who teachers are now saying is mentally unstable, posed as an education official and managed to take over the administration of the Golden Grove Secondary School on the East Coast of Demerara for almost two weeks.
The man, who gave three different names to the school’s administrators, was arrested yesterday after officials of the ministry reported him to the police.
But this was not before the man convinced everyone, including the Head Teacher, Loreen Lynch, that he was the Deputy Education Officer of Region Two who was sent by Chief Education Officer, Olato Sam, to look into administrative matters at the school.
During the two-week period he was there, the 22-year-old man, who reportedly hails from Leguan Island in the Essequibo, had begun to interfere with the school rules and he even changed the school hours from 8:30hrs-14:30 hrs to 09:00 hrs-15:00 hrs, and although this adversely affected the schedule of many students they complied, because he was “very strict” in administering “his rules”.
Sources in the school revealed that the imposter demanded to see students’ School Based Assessments (SBAs) and even began administering corporal punishment to students.
From all appearances the “mad man” was easily angered and there are reports that a student suffered a sprained finger as a result of one of his assaults.
Teachers were suspicious of the man’s presence and his role in the school from the start and many of them were intimidated by him.
Yesterday, the suspicion climaxed when teachers observed several irregularities in his spelling whenever he was making notes.
But what they should have done first ended up being the last thing they did as they finally sought to verify from an official at the Ministry of Education if the man was indeed sent by them.
The entire school was shocked when the official denied any knowledge of the man and the Cove and John Police Station was immediately contacted.
The man who gave his name as Adams, David Dos Santos and Collis Peters was subsequently arrested and placed in custody.
Following his detention, scores of children accompanied by a few teachers marched to the Cove and John Police Station demanding justice.
Some of the students protest outside the Cove and John Police Station yesterday
So livid were the students that some of them begged for the man’s release so that they could give him back the whippings, 10-fold.
One God-fearing teacher said that she hopes the man doesn’t leave the Police Station because the beating that’s waiting for him may be fatal. Another teacher was willing to pay his bail so that he can be dealt with by the students.
A senior mistress of the school, Ms. Rhonda Benjamin, said that she was fearful for herself and the other teachers as well because the man had gotten access to all of their personal information, including their addresses.
She said that she would not be able to sleep well at nights, if he was released, knowing that a lunatic on the loose knows where she lives.
She said that the students’ actions were understandable and she further stated although the man was abusive, during his infiltration of the school administration, his birthday came up and they had to stand at the assembly and sing the birthday song for him.
Calencia Facey of 1A, Natalie Ramsay, Tonneka Gills of 1C, Carl Phyll of 3B, and Denzel Luke were some of the affected students who were protesting outside the police station and they spoke of incidences when they were forced to give the imposter money for his personal uses.
This newspaper was able to ascertain that more than 50 students claimed that they had given him $300 each to buy school badges since he had wanted every student to be wearing them.
However they never received any badge.
Chief Education Officer Olato Sam told this newspaper that the Ministry was fully aware of the situation but he declined to comment further, claiming that he was awaiting the outcome of an investigation which is being undertaken by the District Education Officer.
Some of the students protest outside the Cove and John Police Station yesterday