Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 22/Dec 04:54

Teacher integrity, student safety

AMONG the tabulations of teacher job abandonment and late-coming in the Teaching Service Commission’s (TSC) 2024 Annual Report is a far more startling statistic: 16 matters brought before the commission under the listing "Allegations of misconduct – sexual abuse." Ideally, the count should be zero, but the predatory and powerful will take advantage of their position and serious allegations must be met with a considered and clear response. Five teachers were listed as being accused of 13 allegations, with one teacher accused of five allegations of impropriety. For these matters to meander for more than a year is unfair to both the accused teachers and the children who have spoken up. These matters should be dealt with expeditiously, whether it is to clear the reputations of the accused teachers or to hold them accountable for inappropriate behaviour, but the TSC faces multiple roadblocks, including the slow pace of court process and the length of time it takes before matters are heard by disciplinary tribunals. But it is not enough for the commission to state that it “continues to give increased attention to those disciplinary matters involving the abuse of children including physical and sexual abuse.” In August 2024, Justice Frank Seepersad, while making an order to compel the TSC to interview a secondary school teacher for a teaching role after seven years, wondered if the commission was capable of hiring, promoting and disciplining teachers effectively and efficiently. This is a real concern, given the number of times the TSC has been brought before the courts for devastatingly long delays in addressing appointments and reviewing appeals for promotion. Enshrined bureaucracy should not hamper it from capably addressing matters involving possible sexual abuse for months on end. The count of court matters brought to the Judiciary in 2024 is a disappointing zero. Fourteen court matters stood unheard and outstanding at the end of 2024. The blame for this cannot be laid entirely on the commission’s doorstep. The challenges facing the TT court system affects everyone awaiting justice; whether it be a minor legal matter or a murder case, all are equally unhappy in our justice system. The education minister’s commitment to modernise policies and procedures and improve efficiency is laudable, but practical guidance to schools and meaningful collaboration with the commission on this issue should be a matter of urgency. A body legislatively assembled since 1962 to make appointments, transfer and promote teachers, exercise disciplinary control and enforce standards of conduct cannot be institutionally crippled by bureaucracy, and stalled by the courts to the point that it cannot address sexual abuse allegations in ways that assure the safety of children and the integrity of teachers with more tangible robustness. The post Teacher integrity, student safety appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.