…Bishops’ HM to be reprimanded,

THE Guyana Police Force (GPF) is now investigating the alleged sexual grooming and misconduct of the Business and Economics teacher of the Bishops’ High School even as the Ministry of Education has determined that the school’s head teacher, Winifred Ellis, breached Section 35 of the Education Act 39:01 which speaks to “Inappropriate behaviour by teachers in school”.

Given the breach, Ellis is liable to a first warning, a statement from the Ministry of Education said on Friday. The ministry said it has completed its investigation into the allegations levelled against the 39- year-old Bishops’ High School teacher, Coen Jackson. “In the case of the Bishops’ High School teacher, Mr. Coen Jackson, the Ministry of Education Welfare Department in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Protection concluded its investigation and handed the matter over to the Guyana Police Force,” the statement said.

Jackson has since denied the allegations but admitted to being in relationships with two former students of the senior secondary school. In fact, he is currently in an “extremely strong relationship” with a young woman; he says is 21 years old. He says he has been dating the woman for a few years.
At a news conference held on Tuesday, Jackson, in the presence of his attorneys, Jerome Khan, Priyanka Sookraj and Siand Dhurjon said “You can’t stop people from falling in love; you can’t stop people from interacting.”

In his own defence, he sought to blame Cultural Policy Advisor, Ruel Johnson who on Monday wrote a letter of complaint to Chief Education Officer, Marcel Hutson, and copied the missive to Nicolette Henry, Minister of Education; Khemraj Ramjattan, Vice-President and Minister of Public Security; Amna Ally, Minister of Social Protection; Volda Lawrence, Minister of Public Health; Basil Williams, Minister of Legal Affairs; and George Norton, Minister of Social Cohesion (Culture, Youth and Sport) on the issue.

Johnson in his complaint, outlined the teacher’s alleged predatory behaviour over the years and noted that he learned of the allegations a few months ago and began his investigation of the matter then. He has since spoken with victims of the public school and said since his social media posts on the subject, several other past students from other schools, where Jackson taught, came forward with similar reports. But Jackson has maintained that Johnson’s letter of complaint is only as a result of “serious disagreements” between them; something Johnson has vehemently denied. On Tuesday, Johnson issued a statement standing by his comments on the issue.

He said, “…since this issue has started, multiple young women have in fact come out to say publicly that he has sexually propositioned them while they were his students at various institutions, including Guyana Technical Institute, the Business School, School of the Nations, Georgetown Technical Institute, Leonora Technical Institute, and Mae’s.”
On Friday, this newspaper reported that former Chairperson of the Teaching Service Commission (TSC), Leila Ramson has said that the Police should have been called in immediately by the Education Ministry to investigate the allegation of sexual misconduct and grooming of school-aged girls by Jackson.

She acknowledged that Bishops’ High School is managed by a Board of Governors, and as such, the matter would not have been brought to the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) had it been constituted. Notwithstanding that, Ramson explained that in the past when such matters arose based on the seriousness of the allegations, the cases of sexual misconduct were handed over to the police.
Meanwhile, the Education Ministry said it concluded the matter relating to the Bishops’ High School Head teacher Winifred Ellis and recommended that Ellis be reprimanded and she must apologise to the students and teachers of the school.

Ellis on Monday chided the female students of the school for not defending Jackson on Facebook, where there has been an outcry on the matter. In an audio recording, Ellis was heard telling the students that they were “slackers” and “loose” while requesting those who felt uncomfortable around Jackson in the past, to publicly step out of the assembly line or make a show of hands.

On Friday, the Ministry said a team comprising Chief Education Officer (CEO) Marcel Hutson (Chief and final arbiter), Legal Advisor to the Ministry of Education- Kelly-Ann Payne-Hercules, Guyana Teachers Union Representative Lance Baptiste, President of the Bishops’ High School Board Ruth Lee, President of The Bishops’ High School Parent Teachers Association (PTA) – Sondra Lowe, National PTA Co-ordinator- Nadia Hollingsworth, Co-ordinator of Health and Family Life Education (HFLE)- Coleen King-Cameron and the two Head Prefects of the Bishops’ High School met.

During that meeting, a recording of the Headmistress’ address to the students was presented and the Head Mistress had an opportunity to provide an explanation.
“Based on the evidence presented and the explanation proffered, the committee found the Headmistress culpable of breaching the regulations under the Education Act 39:01 section 35 “Inappropriate behavior by teachers in school” which is liable to a first warning,” the statement said. It was also recommended that the Ministry of Education provide training and support to teachers on how to deal with children on sexual issue and that counseling support requested by the students be provided.

STUDENTS’ BODY
Meanwhile, student of the school ,Jensen Samaroo in a recent address to representatives from the Bishops’ High School Board of Governors, The Bishops’ High School Old Students’ Association, The Bishops’ High School Parent Teachers Association, The Ministry of Education, The Guyana Teachers’ Union and The Child Protection Agency , called on the public to refrain from attacking the school.

In a missive, posted on his Facebook Page, Samaroo outlined how he and other students of the school are affected by the sexual allegations levelled against Jackson. He said since the allegations surfaced there have been no formal and appropriate channel to which the current students of the school were able to speak. “This is rather unfortunate. We, the students of the Bishops High School are at the centre of public discourse and everyone sees it fit to listen to everyone else except us.”

The student continued: “What began as condemnation of an individual has now transcended into an institutional attack. We the students of the Bishops’ High strongly believe in our judicial system and every other such system which has been established to deal with matters involving a breach of the law or some established code.”

Samaroo made it clear that the students of the school believe that once a law is broken persons ought to be made accountable but noted that the relevant and correct procedure should be adopted. “Launching an institutional attack is unwarranted and unjustified. The inherent pitfall and danger in this approach that has been adopted is that, in an attempt to help apparent victims of a ‘nationally’ flawed system that has failed them, a wider array of persons, who happens to be children, have become subjected to victimization. Victimisation is victimisation, regardless of what form it takes and if one condemns and detest one form but do not do same for another form, it rightfully ought to be deemed as hypocritical,” he declared.

The student noted that Bishops’ High School students have been subjected to “outrageous comments and questions when they walk the streets.” “Indeed this morning, within the space of ten (10) minutes I was subject to two (2) such occurrences. I was at the Beacon’s Café when a young lady who professed herself to be a past student (which was even more disheartening) cheerfully questioned and with a chuckle at the end, “Jackson ever messaged you?”

I left the café without responding and proceeded to Metro to get something printed. On my way back a gentleman whose first name I don’t even know, asked, “de teacher never touch yuh?” I continued to walk without responding and he proceeded to comment, “I hope he never touch yuh,” Samaroo recounted while noting he is psychologically prepared to handle the aforementioned.

His concern however, is that the other students of his school may not be able to, referencing the younger students who are pre-teens. The student pointed to the perception that the senior secondary school “perpetuates rape culture” has resulted in the public believing that “rape culture is inextricably linked to “Bishops’ culture”, and that is absolutely, absolutely ridiculous.”

Additionally, the student noted a report that a male student of the school on the way to the bus park was stopped by a woman and asked ‘you gon molest my daughter too?’
“This gives you the general idea of the conceived thoughts of persons because of the information that is being peddled to them.

That the boys in the Bishops’ High School partake in rape culture; that every girl at Bishops has been molested; that so long as you are attired in Bishops uniform you ought to be looked at differently in light of recent events,” he said, calling for appropriate action to stop what he considers to be the peddling of “outrageous propaganda about our beloved school”.