Dear Editor,
Here is a somewhat disturbing state of affairs as it relates to a trained teacher who has been assigned to a school in another region away from where he lives. This teacher has time and again been experiencing difficulties in maintaining the required level of professionalism as duty demands.
While this is a failing that cannot be condoned, I’m certain that there are ways and means according to the rules to which management has recourse in addressing this matter. And of course, the authority it appears did, but the course of action that was taken just didn’t seem right.
For three months – June, July and August ‒ when this teacher went to the bank to uplift his salary, there was none! Upon inquiry from the head of his school, they claimed no knowledge of such.
He further inquired from the Education Officer who also said that he was unaware of any such thing. Nothing was ever said to him; no letter was given to him informing him of anything. So how was it that for three consecutive months his salary was not posted? If this is not the way of the Ministry of Education, then someone should explain.
This is most callous, and what must he do? How will he be able to prepare for this new school term? I recall a similar story some years ago highlighted by Geralda Dennison titled, ‘What an unfair world we live in’, about the plight of a teacher who was a victim of bureaucratic lethargy and unconscionable judgement.
This teacher, a father of three who had been teaching for seventeen years, was owed three months’ salary by the state totalling $180,000.00.
With children to feed and clothe, and rent to pay, he stole from his place of employment which he admitted to, explained his circumstances and begged for mercy.
But his plea fell on deaf ears and he was sentenced to twelve months in jail. Mind you, what he stole was far below what they owed him.
Please note, that in spite of him not receiving his three months’ pay he had continued teaching: two CXC classes, two third form classes and three second form classes, but that didn’t matter – 12 months jail. It is situations like that which cause people to trip out.
Now as if the above scenario wasn’t enough agony, here comes the bone-breaker.
This very teacher took some items on hire purchase, bed included, for his mother whom he supports; she is diabetic and depends heavily on him.
He has been paying his instalments pronto and never had a lapse until the above scenario occurred. He respectfully went in to the company and informed them about his plight, hoping that they would exercise tolerance, ‘flexing’ the rules given his predicament.
But the company would have none of it; they went to his home and took away every item – business is business.
As can be seen he defaulted because of not being paid for three consecutive months.
What the company did to him is referred to as commerce without a human face.
This is why I maintain and repeat: poor folks cannot live by all the rules that were made for them. His instalments had all gone down the drain, and this to me is worse than what the brothers who play three cards do. And I’m not in any way defending those naughty customers one bit, but without the human factor being a key element we are doomed.
No wonder folks hide, lie, move things out, jump through windows and what not. It doesn’t always pay to be decent.
Yours faithfully,
Frank Fyffe
