Abuse allegations at St. John’s College almost resolved – MoE PS, Alfred King

A recent allegation of abuse and discrimination faced by a student of the St. John’s College is near resolution, after the Education Ministry intervened to remedy the situation. This was revealed by Permanent Secretary of the Education Ministry, Alfred King, on Thursday.
The Education Ministry had undertaken the investigation after a social media post by a fifth form student of this Georgetown secondary school had detailed what he said were “five years of torture” and his “worst nightmare”, as he alleged that he had been constantly abused by his peers and teachers because of his sexuality.
According to PS King, “Once those things get to the leadership of the Ministry, instantly we try to engage the parents (and) learners, and we sent our Education Officers. Our Welfare Unit was out there to not only do an investigation, but to provide immediate support to all those who are impacted by such behaviour; and, of course, make recommendations for the best fit…by and large, it is resolved by a number of measures and, of course, intervention by the Ministry.”
A Facebook post was shared by a student in early September. It was a video recording of him sitting at his desk when another student walked up to him and punched him in the face. The teen said that was not the first time he had been physically assaulted at the school, and several reports he had made had all gone unaddressed.
“My school life is like the worst nightmare ever. I’m being abused physically, mentally, and verbally by both teachers and students because of my sexuality. I’m tired! There’s this specific male teacher who makes derogatory remarks at me anytime he sees me in and out of the classroom, and when reports are made to the HM [Head Mistress], I’m not given satisfaction.”
The teen also alleged that a particular teacher had refused to teach him because of his sexuality. “I’m being told that if my name wasn’t called, it wasn’t for me. I can vividly remember my sir coming into my classroom saying, ‘I’m not teaching no auntyman’ loud in front of the classroom, and I was humiliated”, the teen has said.
“Recently, as of yesterday [September 9], around 10:30 am, I was physically abused by a classmate for no apparent reason. I’m tired of being abused and misused in that school. I’m just praying for the couple more months to sweep by, so I can write my exams and get out of there. The Ministry needs to look into situations like this…I’m not asking no one to like me or let me be their favourite, but just let me live and be at peace like everyone another student,” the post read.
When contacted, Education Minister Priya Manickchand said the matter has been brought to her attention, and an investigation has been launched.