Dear Editor,
It is with absolute dismay, shock and amazement that I read online that a 16-year-old male student of a private school in Guyana committed suicide, after it was alleged that he was romantically involved with a female teacher at the same educational institution. To make matters worse, the female teacher was not fired! So we have a teacher, one in authority who has tremendous responsibility to shape the minds of her students, allegedly engaging in sexual activities with one of her students and action is taken against him and none against her. Amazing!
Alex Persaud, the 16-year-old student was reportedly publicly embarrassed and subsequently expelled by the Principal of the said educational institution. What is important to note is that the Principal of the private school is a Swami. A very religious person. A leader in society. One people look up to naturally.
Editor, it boggles the mind as to how disciplinary action was taken against the ‘minor’, the male student, and not the teacher, the adult. From what I read on the online news site, the principal of that private school, through his secretary, confirmed that the student was indeed expelled and the teacher wasn’t asked to resign. What?! However, the secretary said the teacher just stopped going to work.
The student was in fifth form and would have been out of that school shortly. On the other hand, the teacher, the alleged transgressor, would have been allowed to continue teaching students. Editor, how can a person in this principal’s position not see it fit and obvious to fire the teacher immediately after there was evidence of an intimate relationship between her and the 16-year-old student?
I hope the Guyana Police Force and the Ministry of Education investigate this matter thoroughly and the family, relatives and friends of young Alex Persaud are provided answers. Moreover, the students of the school and their parents and the public also deserve answers. Starting with…why wasn’t the teacher fired? Was a report of this alleged sexual encounter between student and teacher reported to the Guyana Police Force?
Normally, the teacher would have been fired and the student counselled. Or are we so primitive in our thinking that because the alleged victim was a male and the alleged perpetrator was a female, it doesn’t constitute sexual abuse? We need to grow up as a people.
Yours faithfully,
Nicholas De Castro
