THE Ministry of Education said the video being circulated on social media showing a confrontation between a teacher of Christ Church Secondary School and a Grade Nine student is an incident which occurred in 2017 and had been dealt with.

However, even though the matter has long been dealt with, the ministry has reiterated its zero-tolerance of any act of violence, particularly within the school environment. The 30-second video which regained traction on Facebook on Friday, showed the female teacher and male student struggling for possession of a cellular device for some 20 seconds.

The cellphone in question belonged to the student and was confiscated by the teacher in keeping with school rules. In the video, another student, who was out of sight, could be heard inciting the situation by encouraging the male student to “throw she [the teacher] in the bin”.

Shortly after the struggle, the teacher gained possession of the cell phone and immediately raised a warning finger at the student who was still in confrontation mode.
The remaining 10 seconds of the video showed that when the teacher attempted to leave the classroom, the male student blocked her movement with his shoulder while another male student also stood at the door.

It is unclear whether the other male student stood intentionally at the door but it caused the teacher to sternly ask one student by name to remove from the doorway at which time the video ends.

In a release from the ministry on Friday, it noted that the incident actually took place on October 19, 2017. It verified that the confrontation was a result of the student using a mobile phone during instruction time, which is prohibited. “The matter was reported to the administration of the school following which the child’s parent requested that the child be transferred to another school. That request was granted,” the release stated.
“The Ministry of Education has a clear position concerning the use of mobile phones by students during instruction periods.”

According to a Ministry of Education circular since 2007 to heads in the public education sector, the ministry had prohibited the use of cellphones during class sessions; student assemblies and examination rooms.
The circular indicated that any student found using any similar gadget or device during the periods can be suspended for a minimum of three days.

Furthermore, in the Friday release, the ministry reminded that it condemns any act of violence, particularly in the school environment. It also reminded that an update on the recent incident at the New Amsterdam Technical Institute will soon be made available upon the completion of the investigation. The investigation is in relation to a viral social media video which surfaced on Tuesday, showing three students of the New Amsterdam Technical Institute, Region Six, being brutalised by another student with the use of a belt and fists.