STUDENTS and parents protested outside the Providence Primary School, East Bank Demerara, on Wednesday, calling on the Ministry of Education to reinstate Sir Rodwell Simon, an Assistant Master who was dismissed by the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) earlier this month after being charged for neglect of duty and misconduct.Several students protested inside the school’s compound, while members of the Parent

Teachers Association (PTA) lined the corridor in front of the school with placards and chanting for an exchange — the return of ‘Sir Rodwell’ and dismissal of the school’s Headmistress.
In a letter from the TSC dated February 6, 2017 and signed by Secretary of the Teaching Service Commission, Sophia Hunte, the Assistant Master was informed of his dismissal from the teaching service after being found guilty by the TSC of charges brought up against him by the ministry.
During a hearing on January 30, 2017, charges were read to Simon, accusing him of neglect of duty for “not attending adequately to duties assigned (and) refusal to execute any lawful duty assigned, whether given orally or in writing in keeping with duties and responsibilities.”
In the second charge, ‘Conduct Unbecoming of a Teacher,’ he was accused of “Insubordination/disobedience to Head Teacher and Education Officers (and) Breach of policy: Circular no. 1/2009 ‘Extra Lesson after school hours’ dated November 4, 2008.”
He was found guilty of all charges except “not attending adequately to duties assigned,” the letter pointed out.
“The Disciplinary Committee found you GUILTY of the charge (1) (ii) and charge (2) (i) and (ii). The committee then made the appropriate recommendation to the commission. As a consequence, you are hereby DISMISSED from the teaching service with effect from 2017-02-03,” the letter further stated.

When the Guyana Chronicle visited the scene around 8:00hrs Wednesday, students used pages of exercise books to design their own placards displaying messages of “We need Sir”; “We want him back” and “Better than the rest Sir,” as they braced the bars from the inside of the padlocked school. They respected the call to assembly and went to their classrooms at school time.
On the outside of the school compound however, parents and past students of the school continued to protest, chanting for the return of Sir Rodwell – who taught at the school for 17 years — and the dismissal of the headmistress who was placed there about a year ago.
“No warning letter was given. No proper investigation was done… We need Sir Rodwell back in the Teaching Service. H.M must go! Give us justice!” were the messages some of the placards bore.
“We just asking the ministry to look into this matter, because this Sir is claiming that he never get any warning letter at no time at all and he been dismissed and we are angry parents over this matter, because this Sir never been warned by no other official,” one of the protestors said.
The parents believe a thorough investigation into the matter was never done and are calling for a deeper investigation, since they feel something is amiss. They threatened legal action and claimed that his removal from the teaching system creates a backlash for his students.
“We are asking the official to come in and make a thorough investigation over this matter right now. If the teacher can’t teach, he children them can’t get back in school cause we gon take legal action against this thing, because it’s totally unfair to the teacher. A lot of students come out from this school and go to high school and he have [sic] many parents who concern about he situation,” a parent stated.

Being familiar with the teacher for 12 years, the parent said he has taught her daughter from Eccles School.
“So we are in solidarity with the Sir. So if he is not reinstated, the children them can’t (be taught). We are asking the President, we are asking the Education Minister to please come and do something proper so that the teacher could be on the job. 17 year is not 17 days!” the parent stated.
Another parent who protested Wednesday said her son has become an ‘A+’ academic performer with his percentage in the 90s as a result of the dedication of Sir Simon.
“We need justice for this man! We as the parent, we gatto support the teachers, and we want the teachers at Providence School to come out and support us… we gon protest everyday until the teacher get justice!”
Another protestor, former student, Peter Puran, pointed out that the Grade 6 teacher had been producing students of excellence and has lifted the standards of the school over the years.
“He taught this school for 17 years, he brought out 42 students last year with Queen’s College and other schools. None of the students failed, so we need justice for Sir Rodwell,” the young man said.