Even as investigations into a sexual affair involving a female teacher and a male student at the Richard Ishmael Secondary School are ongoing, an incident of similar nature has surfaced at another government school.

A male teacher sexually molested a female first form student

Reports are that a male teacher of the Charlestown Government School sexually molested a female first form student. This newspaper was informed that the incident which occurred on Tuesday has already been brought to the attention of the school’s Parent-Teacher's Association (PTA), although there have been calls for it to be suppressed.

Molesting-female  Teacher-Engineer-sodomy-charges

It was reported that on Tuesday the student received a message to meet a female teacher in the technical department but was however met by the male teacher.
It is alleged that the teacher coerced the young girl to remain in the room during which time he fondled her breast and placed his finger into her vagina.  This newspaper understands that the distraught child even related to the teacher that she was having her menstrual cycle and had begged him to stop, to no avail.
Overwhelmed with embarrassment and disbelief the young child kept the incident to herself until she reached home. To her mother’s dismay the child related the details of the disturbing ordeal she was forced to endure.
Accompanied by her mother, the young child returned to the school yesterday where the incident was related to senior teachers who advised the mother to report the matter directly to the headmistress.
Threatening to take the matter to the police, the mother informed the headmistress of the situation but was asked not to take the matter any further.
But according to members of the PTA, the matter should be taken to the relevant authorities, including the Education Ministry and the police, as soon as possible since the very teacher has been the perpetrator of several similar acts at the school in the past.
They disclosed that not only has the matter been suppressed time and time again but the teacher continues to remain a prominent member of the school.
In an invited comment yesterday, the headmistress admitted that the incident which occurred on Tuesday was reported to her and that she is aware of other reports that the same teacher was involved in similar matters but added that she was not stationed at that school at the time.
She also admitted that she had cautioned the mother of the child not to take the matter further since she needed to hear the teacher’s side.
She, however, divulged that the teacher does not usually stay away from school but for some reason he did not come yesterday. She further disclosed that she was not in receipt of any sick report, adding that it is strange that the teacher did not turn up at school.
This newspaper was reliably informed that the teacher had gone to work yesterday but left soon after he spotted the student and her mother.
The headmistress said that once the teacher comes forward and shares his version of the story the matter will be placed in the hands of the relevant authorities with the Education Ministry gaining first preference.
She also expressed her desire to have the matter remain low-key since she does not want to tarnish the integrity of the school.

Thursday, June 04, 2004