Principal goes back to school

All he wanted was to return to his position as principal of the Siparia West Secondary School and today Sookoo Sonnylal will be able to do just that.

Sonnylal, on Tuesday, filed a High Court action which sought the court’s permission to review Education Minister Anthony Garcia’s decision to “remove” him as principal of the school.

At the hearing yesterday, the matter was resolved when attorneys for the minister informed the court Sonnylal had never been “suspended, transferred or removed” as principal but an investigation had been launched into an alleged altercation between him and students at the school.

The minister was represented by attorney Monica Smith who said Sonnylal can return as principal of the school once he withdrew the vacation leave for which he had applied prior to him being instructed to report to the District Education Office daily.

Justice Devindra Rampersad granted him leave without a full hearing after Smith produced an affidavit filed on behalf of the minister which admitted that the school’s vice principal had been told to perform the duties of principal.

“You have removed him. You have taken away his powers but he remains (principal) by name only,” Rampersad said.

Sonnylal was represented by attorneys Anand Ramlogan, Jayanti Lutchmedial and Douglas Bayley.

Speaking to the media after, Sonnylal said he was happy and elated to return to school.

“I am a past student of that school since 1977 to 1979. I have been a student there and then I have been working at that school 25 years now. I am passionate about that school and I need to go back to work and that is what the judge has ordered, that I go back to work from tomorrow morning,” he said yesterday.

Sonnylal was removed from the school on October 10 after a video was uploaded to social media depicting a confrontation between him and students. After the decision, the minister denied that the move to remove Sonnylal from the school was disciplinary action.

Garcia said he was deeply troubled by the video and took steps to have the principal removed.