AWOL teacher a winner in LGE

A month-long absence from teaching art paid off for Richard Rampersad, who is now a councillor for the St Augustine South/Piarco/St Helena community.

Rampersad at first said he took sick leave and then applied for retroactive no-pay leave.

He beat his opponent Candice Clarke-Small to earn a seat on the Tunapuna Regional Corporation.

Although the PNM won control of the corporation, the UNC, to which Rampersad belongs, gained an additional seat to those it won in the 2016 election.

Rampersad, a form one art teacher at the Tranquillity Government Secondary School, Port of Spain, has been absent from work since November 11 and will go back to work on Thursday. His leave, which up to last week was not approved, ends on Wednesday.

Rampersad first said he was on sick leave while he was absent from school on November 21. The following day , he said he had applied for no-pay leave and asked for it to begin on November 11 and end on December 4. Nomination day was November 11.

After he went on leave, Education Minister Anthony Garcia told Newsday Rampersad had written to the ministry on November 25 asking for the time off.

On Tuesday Garcia said the matter is with the ministry'slegal department, which will pass on the information to the Teaching Service Commission – the body responsible for disciplining teachers.

Rampersad is one of two teachers who won their seats for the UNC. He is the only one who took time off to campaign. His colleague Jason Ali beat the incumbent and fellow teacher Maurice Alexander for the Siparia West/Fyzabad seat.