UPDATE: Anegada parents mum after meeting with Ed. Officials
The parents waited patiently until around 12:30pm when they were addressed by officers of the Ministry of Education. The principal of the school, Mr John Williamson, was not part of the meeting as he was observed outside throughout. The media was also shut out.
Following the meeting, several parents with whom this news site had previously spoken to said they were advised not to speak to the media.
Residents have their say
However, around the community the issues at the school were the centre of discussion and while most persons said the level of discrimination at the school is rife they asked not to be named.
Among the suggestions concerned residents voiced was the rotating of teachers.
"This situation has become a sore one at that school and it's all because it's more of a family thing and some people fighting for position," said one man.
"They need to rotate the teachers at least every two school years. They are becoming too comfortable and no one can handle the state of the situation right now." another said.
"Some people are saying bad things about the principal but his hands are tied. There are a bunch of women there and he is just one man. It's not fair to throw the blame at his feet he is just one person," was the opinion of another resident.
One woman also said that a specific small group of teachers could be considered the root of the problems. "I remember not so long ago there was a fight with two little boys, one was a teacher's son and she held down the other child and made her son beat that little boy," a resident of Anegada alleged.
This news site was directed to the parent of the alleged beaten child but the parent declined to comment.
See story published today May 4, 2015
Parents in Anegada take over school compound in protest
Tension is high among parents of students of the Claudia Creque Educational Centre as they gather in protest over conditions at the school on the sister island of Anegada today May 4, 2015.
Allegations are that the root of the problem has to do with the Principal John Williamson allegedly being unable to discipline teachers who are reportedly found to be constantly erring. “He like he afraid of those teachers, and what is the problem? This nonsense of who from here and who down island and bull has to stop. Since when where you from has to do with you executing your job properly, put we people alone to do the job and we messing up big time we need each other if this country is to go forward," stressed a parent.
The parents, numbering in excess of 20, entered the school’s compound this morning to meet with two officials reportedly sent by the Department of Education, but were told that a specific time was not set for them to have an audience with the parents. "You can come back after lunch," they were told by the Education Officer for Technical Vocational Education and Training, Mr Allen Hodge.
In the meantime, parents have insisted they are not leaving the premises until they have an opportunity to share their side of their concerns.
"Where was the Minister and the high profile Education officers all the while we were complaining about the issues at this school? We don't care who is coming we are not sending our children to school tomorrow (Today)," an irate parent of the Claudia Creque Educational Centre told Virgin Islands News Online on May 3, 2015.
"Friday was the boiling point of things at that school where two teachers were involved in a brawl, a ugly fight in the clear view of the students and then one of the teachers' husband came in and mash up the government property, it was nasty, nasty," alleged one concerned parent.
Pressure on principal
The allegations have been unanimous against the school Principal who this news site was unsuccessful in reaching to hear his side of the story.
"When there was the brawl with the teachers and then the husband came of course children will get rowdy but his man (the Principal), instead of disciplining his teachers who caused the ruckus, he sent home all the secondary students because they created a stir. It was the two teachers he was to send home and call the police on the man that destroyed the government property," related a parent.
There was also the issue of a student being expelled for allegedly having physical contact with a teacher as he allegedly rushed out of a classroom that was too cold for his asthmatic condition at the time.
"The classroom was really cold, they don't want the kids with warmer jackets in the classroom and that child has an asthma problem. The child finished his exam and asked to leave the room because it was too cold. She refused him and he went out against her instructions. This is the nonsense we talking about and things are now really out of hand. We taking a stand," said a parent.
This news site was told that as word got around that the Minister for Education was deploying a high level team to the island today in an attempt to stop a planned protest, parents called an emergency meeting yesterday afternoon and the decision was that they would still be keeping their children at home today.
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42 Responses to “UPDATE: Anegada parents mum after meeting with Ed. Officials”
How come he not over anegada taking photos with the parents...
Tone down the attitudes and ego's!!!!!!
This is an indication to me that their priorities and education outlook is not in the right place.
Obviously, there are problems but, in my opinion, they are a big part of the problem.
We need a change in leadership.
The TSC (Teaching Service Commission) are the ones who conduct the interviews and make the selection for the position of Principals in the BVI school system; not the Minister of Education. Each school in turn has an appointed Education Officer to deal with all the issues at that school; negative or positive . The Principal is in charge of the school and the teachers are expected to follow the instructions given by the principal whether they like him or not. Therefore this matter should have been dealt with in the proper way to avoid all this explosion, blaming and finger pointing. The native teacher should have been disciplined a long time ago.
Nonetheless no one cares about the quality of teachers or education being offered and administered at the school. Why is the focus on government?
These parents aren't doing any harm to anyone but their children unless of course they opt to take them to vg or Tortola school.
Were formal reports made to ministry of education or to representative for the 9th district?
None of this has to do with NDP or VIP....it's just that the p******* allegedly never corrected teachers when they were wrong. Allegedly never made them to realize who was in charge of the school. He allegedly allowed some of them to do whatever they wanted to do. The school is allegedly run on favoritism. Now he's trying to get it back? Too late. And to the fact that the school is all about family? That's irrelevant. What does family have to do with the profession that you choose or a school gone bad?
D principal need to do him wok and stop having the drunk A^€g@d!@^ running he. The one from VG en ha no respect far he neither. Education need to move the two dwarfs and suspend billy goat gruff. Them also need to do breathaliser and drug screen beca some ah dem mu be going to school drunk or high. Some ah d parents dem en ha no respect either so me no no y dem fret bout the little bad word a frustrated man cuss. Schupes. JW step up an b a man.
Students can do whatever they want with all the others but not those three.
They are persecuted for being strict
if the people would listen to what the students say nun of this would of happen!! This make one of the best teachers don't wan go school wid them stupidness. N guess wa the ppl dem children don't even gah a teacher to teach them properly if the damn teachers would stay in them damn class room n teach them class n talking bout ppl child nun of this $h1T woulda happen!!!!