No response from Education Commissioner on primary school Principal fiasco

TNN can now reveal the school at the centre of the fiasco in which the Principal finds herself in hot water is Purvis Primary School.

We submitted a query about the situation to the Commissioner of Education, Kalmar Richards but as is now the norm when it comes to TNN, we did not hear from her.

Instead we received a somewhat confusing response from a spokesperson who told us: “The Ministry acknowledges the awareness of certain employee matters at Purvis. However, it is important to note that employee matters fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Commissioner of Education (COE) and the Department of Education (DOE).”

Remember, we sought a comment directly from the Commissioner, instead of the Commissioner providing us a response, the spokesperson told us the Commissioner is responsible for such matters. Making things as clear as mud.

That notwithstanding,
the spokesperson continued: “Per our policy, these personnel issues are not discussed with the media.”

As it relates to the allegedly unapproved construction work at the school, the spokesperson explained: “Indeed, the walls between classrooms in P3-P6 have been opened up to foster collaborative teaching. Concurrently, comprehensive training sessions have been underway for teachers to engage in collaborative teaching methodologies effectively.

The training initiative commenced between April and June and continues to provide ongoing support for our educators in implementing these collaborative approaches. These new learning environments will help our students have great learning experiences and achieve better life and learning outcomes.”

Elsewhere, you may remember TNN broke the story of Francis Patton school not being ready in time for the start of the new school year. The spokesperson told us: “Purvis and Francis Patton Primary Schools continue to operate under the contingency plan established in discussion with parents during June and August.

A public statement released in September about these plans designed to ensure uninterrupted learning. We can confirm that these plans remain effective and the schools’ operations are consistent with this strategy.”

“Later this week, the Ministry plans to meet with the Buildings and Facilities team for an update on the ongoing construction. We prioritize keeping our parents and teachers informed; they will receive the latest updates on construction status before a public announcement is made.”

The spokesperson ended by saying the Ministry remains steadfast in its commitment to our Education Reform agenda and will continue to keep our teachers and parents updated, followed by the general public.

There was however no mention of what is to happen with the Principal as a result of the alleged unapproved construction work nor claims that the principal hired a relative to teach Spanish language classes at the school again without approval of the Ministry.

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