PM condemns school principal attack

The recent attack on Tunapuna Hindu School principal Jeewan Ramdhanie was “probably one of the worst criminal actions” to have happened in recent times, the Prime Minister said on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Ramdhanie was allegedly assaulted by two men who pretended they needed to speak with him about recommendations. Instead, they beat him until he was bleeding because they were displeased that he suspended a student. That “stupidity,” Dr Rowley said, had far-reaching consequences.

“Every parent, every organisation should condemn this in its fullest because it has the potential to further destroy an already tottering school system that is already of serious concern to us for not delivering given what we are putting into it,” the PM said, in his closing statement at a press conference on Thursday at the Piarco International Airport, upon his return from St Kitts and Nevis for a Caricom Inter-sessional Heads of Government meeting. The attack should not be accepted as a matter of course, he said. “I trust the long arm of the law will reach out and grab those who have done this and examples will be so made of them that no third person will contemplate that action.”

Rowley said every parent should pay attention to incident because if it were to continue, it would mean teachers would have to be careful how they enforce the regulations in schools to maintain law and order to ensure the school remains a place of learning and how they treat with students.

“If this is the outcome I can see where teachers, out of fear of retaliation from parents or friends, whoever they are, that teachers will not be what they are supposed to be in the school place. I trust that this will be the last time we see any such thing and it is to be condemned by every voice in this country,” Rowley said.