Parents were not to be blamed for Tesshanna’s death

Dear Editor,

After long consideration, I have decided to pen this letter concerning my child ‘to clear the air’ from our side. (This is Tesshanna, who died on September 1, 2008.) Because of the shock I just could not collect all the statements from the press, but I have a few and I want to say the blame was wrongly placed on my wife and I.

SN September 9, 2008: ‘Amerindian groups join calls for outlawing of pit latrines at schools.’

SN editorial, September 13: “The Minister of Education ought to have been more sympathetic in his tone, his approach could have been more conciliatory, knowing what he was responding to was anger born of deep anguish.”

SN September 22: ‘AFC to hand over toilets to Santa SRPS PTA.’

SN September 23: ‘Baksh announces plan for flush toilets at Santa Rosa Primary School.’ In this report the Minister was quoted as saying, “I want to tell the AFC that they cannot and could not be allowed. It would have to be done only with permission of the school management… They would not be allowed to go to school. We would not allow the AFC to use this as a political agenda for their political objectives.” It was pointed out to the Minister that the Santa Rosa Primary School (SRPS) PTA had publicly asked for assistance to build the toilets and the AFC had responded.

SN letter, September 20: ‘Other schools in the hinterland regions have flush toilets, so why not Santa Rosa Primary?’ In that letter, Minister of Education, Mr Baksh, was invited to Moruca. He never came!

SN September 29: ‘AFC donates toilets to Santa Rosa School PTA.’ This was a blessing and a great gift.

SN October 3: ‘Santa Rosa School toilets – Parents invite Baksh to meeting.’ Still no Baksh.

SN October 11: ‘Pit latrine death/ Santa Rosa to meet on building new sanitary blocks.’ It was in this article that it was reported that the  PTA Chairman, Mr Mark Atkinson, had received a call from Minister Baksh early that morning and had been informed that he (Baksh) was unable to attend the planned meeting, to the disappointment of the community.

SN October 21: ‘Work starts on Santa Rosa School’s new toilets.’ In this report it stated clearly that the PTA actually received twelve toilets sets, six from the AFC and six from other persons. Thanks to the contributors.

On October 14 the Regional Executive Officer and other regional officials attended a meeting at the Santa Rosa Primary School. It was at this meeting that ‘the air was cleared’ after a lengthy discussion with parents of the school community. Again at this meeting the Minister was to be in attendance. However, he could not be as he had other “pressing issues” to attend to, according to the REO. In her remarks Ms Mary Williams (REO) Region One stated that… “from information, little DeSouza was not in her normal sense; that might have been a main contributing factor of what might have happened… on the other side perhaps useful information regarding this child’s home habits did not filter to the head teacher and the teachers of the school. I think the blame is on us parents and teachers for whatever had happened.”

She further concluded, “I hope we can resolve the issue today and to say perhaps that we parents, teachers and all of us had to be blamed for what had happened!” In her response, Vanessa DeSouza, also a teacher of the school and mother of the child said, “Something I need to clear up here… the REO mentioned that I did not communicate properly with the teacher, but that was not so. I had parents there who heard when I was telling the teacher about my child… because no mother would leave their child – perhaps a mother without heart – knowing the child’s condition without saying anything like that. I love my child and I told the teacher how she would use the toilet and how she would communicate because she would speak and use signs, and I explained that! I have parents here who were there in the presence while I was speaking.”

At this point the parent stood up (she wishes to remain anonymous) and confirmed this. So after this confirmation was made and the issue resolved, I hope that the public could now see that the blame does not lie with us parents. I further hope that this letter will put an end to this long and emotionally drawn-out issue.

Finally, the death of an innocent child which caused the school’s PTA to seek funding and other assistance for a sanitary block to be built, should not have been. I wish to remind the relevant authorities in my region and country, that if they truly ‘Put Children First,’ nothing of this nature would happen. Tesshanna DeSouza is a heroine. She has left a significant impression on the hearts of all who felt that dreadful impact, and because of her, the Santa Rosa Primary School can now benefit from a facility like a sanitary block, when it previously had but two usable pit latrines for over six hundred children.

I would like to finally thank all those who contributed in the various ways they did, and cheered us up in our time of bereavement – the media, family, friends and most of my entire home circle.

Yours faithfully,
Robin M DeSouza