Holland Bamboo, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica West Indies.
The story that was aired on TVJ nightly news at 7:00 PM on Monday, June 1, 2013 about the alleged response a father has received from the Regional Office, Region 5, Ministry of Education, Mandeville in response to his plea for assistance with respect to severe injury that his son received in his left eye while drinking water at the fountain at Holland Primary School, Saint Elizabeth, Jamaica West Indies, epitomizes the culture of secrecy, silence, non-response, and pussy-footing that has been characterizing this Regional Office for quite some time.
It is surreal and ludicrous to hear the father whose son was hit in his left eye by another male student at Holland Primary School being allegedly told by the Regional Office, Region 5, Ministry of Education that severe injury that his son has sustained while he is at school is not the responsibility of the Ministry of Education because it was not caused by equipment that is owned by the Ministry.
In the pursuance of ensuring that justice is promptly given to the father and his son who are left out in the cold to defray the cost of huge medical bills and other inescapable miscellaneous expenses that are involved in obtaining medical care for the injured student, Beersheba Old Students Association (BOSA) is respectfully calling on the National Education Inspectorate (NEI) at the Ministry of Education to do the following:
1. Leave no stone unturned and let the chips fall where they may in carrying out its investigation to ascertain the truth with respect to how the case of the injured male student at Holland Primary School has been handled by the Regional Office, Region 5, Ministry of Education.
2. Lambast and hold the Regional Office, Region 5 culpable if the investigation by the National Education Inspectorate (NEI) determines that the Regional Office, Region 5, Ministry of Education has displayed indifference and callous disregard that has ultimately become inimical to the injured student’s interest and welfare.
3. Commend the Principal of Holland Primary School for having a heart in making scarce financial resources available to assist the injured student in his plight.
4. Formulate and implement a strategy that will not only guarantee the injured student’s long term medical care that he needs, but also one that will ensure that the injured student is brought back into the formal education system and treated as a special needs student.
It is very sad when administrators who are put in charge of people’s children has such an un-caring attitude towards their well being.
Cheers to the Principal of Holland Primary for doing the right thing in seeing to it that the child received proper medical care for his injury.