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Queen’s College head, deputy among five to be disciplined

Oct 30, 2010 News

… Neesa Gopaul saga

The head teacher, the deputy and three other members of Queen’s College staff have been recommended for disciplinary action for their poor involvement in protecting Neesa Gopaul. This announcement came yesterday from Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon.
According to Dr. Luncheon the investigation which was carried out by the Ministry of Education found that at least five staff members including the Head Teacher and the Deputy were culpable of not doing their best to render assistance to the teen.
Dr. Luncheon said that the disciplinary action will include denial of seniority and demotion. He said that reports are now available from the teams assembled to examine the roles of Government functionaries in the Ministries of Human Services and Social Security and Education.
“From those teams recommendations have been made regarding the staff and those deemed culpable and recommendations are now available from the Human Services Ministry and have been publicised,” the HPS said.
Recommendations in similar impact and gravity have been made in the Queen’s College report that deals with certain staff members (about four to five, including the headmistress), being recommended to be disciplined in the form of demotions and denial of seniority.
Dr. Luncheon said that “the actual compilation of all that went wrong with the inputs from Government agencies into Gopaul’s case would be done, and assuredly would form part of the learning experience for those who enter into the delivery of social services on Government’s behalf.”
Meanwhile this newspaper was told that several teachers were made to give statements about their involvement with Neesa. It was found during the investigation that there was solid evidence that Neesa was being abused and needed help. However it was also found that the teachers who knew of Neesa’s plight failed to get senior officials involved.
Also this newspaper has been told that the Head teacher of the school, Friedel Isaacs, has since proceeded on her Whitley Council leave after which her retirement will follow. Staff at the school said that yesterday was her last working day.
This announcement follows the recent statement that two Child Care and Protection Officers would be fired and the probationary period of another would be extended.
There were all, in various ways, found to have been negligent in handling the Neesa Gopaul affair.  Human Services Minister, Priya Manickchand said that the case was first reported to the agency on October 19, 2009 when Neesa and a teacher from Queen’s College went to the Child Care and Protection Agency to report that the teenager was living in a difficult environment and that the child was a victim of physical, sexual and drug abuse.
Some three weeks ago Neesa’s partly decomposed body was found in a suitcase in a creek at Emerald Tower.  The teen’s face was battered beyond recognition.
Her mother Bibi Sharima ‘Naree’ Gopaul and the mother’s lover, Barry Small, are currently before the court jointly charged with the teen’s murder.

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