Georgetown

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Principal Education Officer (Georgetown), Marcel Hutson, recently met with parents of Charlestown Secondary School to discuss the way forward following the incident with the teacher and the student.The meeting was conducted in a cordial atmosphere and was constructive, those in attendance said.Two Friday’s ago law enforcement officers from the Ruimveldt Police Station were summoned to mediate after a fracas between a teacher of the Charlestown Secondary School and a student of a neighbouring primary school which escalated out of proportion resulting in injuries to the student and caused relatives of the student to attack three teachers.A fence separating the two schools was torn down to facilitate repairs and students of both schools would sometimes cross the line in both directions.Following the incident, the Education Ministry launched an investigation into the matter and a report has been submitted to Minister Baksh. Both the teacher and the student were found to be at fault and from all indications, both will be sanctioned. The extent of the sanction that will be meted out is not yet known.According to the Education Ministry, the Principal Education Officer focused on impressing upon parents and the community the need to foster a better relationship with teachers at the school and for teachers and the head teacher to work more closely in addressing matters of indiscipline.The parents agreed to improve their relationship with the school and head teacher. The teachers gave their commitment to work as a team to tackle students’ indiciplined behaviour and to create safe, supportive and conducive learning environments.The Education Ministry will be building the fence separating Carmel Secondary from the Charlestown Secondary School.The Ministry will be closely monitoring the behaviour of students at both schools and will be installing a student council at Charlestown Secondary from September.The student involved, twelve-year-old Stephan Bourne, a student of Caramel Primary School, said that he and one of his schoolmates were playing on his side of the fence.He said that he armed himself with a piece of wood and playfully raced after his friend when a teacher of the Charlestown Secondary School shouted at him, “Is wha you doing with that wood?”The lad said that he rudely retorted, “Is none of your business.”He said that the teacher threatened to ‘come over and deal with him.’ The lad retorted in a rude tone and the teacher crossed the line and began to rough him up. The boy said that he responded by pelting the wood in the teacher’s direction before attempting to run away. It was reported that the teacher “box up” the child after which the child told the teacher that he was going for his father. During the incident the child received an injury to his forehead.However the teacher from Charlestown Secondary, who is accused of wounding the child, said that he was preparing the classrooms for an impending examination when he saw the two children who appeared to be involved in a scuffle. He said that he shouted at them to cease and Stephan rudely retorted causing him (the teacher) to upbraid him.He said that it was during this confrontation that the child accidentally struck his head on the wall and sustained the injury. He also said that shortly after the child’s father arrived and assaulted him.Another teacher was also forced to seek medical attention after he reported that the child’s father assaulted him. He received the worst of the fracas and sported injuries to his face and other parts of his body.