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Dec 14, 2013 News
…claims overlooked for Principal position, unlawfully transferred
A senior teacher of Presidents’ College has taken that institution and the Ministry of Education to court, claiming that she was overlooked for the top position and later unlawfully transferred and sent on administrative leave after the matter was raised.
Through her lawyers, Roysdale Forde and Keshia Chase, Graduate Deputy Principal Yvonette Chichester was granted orders to have the Minister of Education and President’s College School Board show cause why their decisions should not be overturned by the court. The orders were granted on December 4th and will be coming up again on December 16th before Chief Justice (ag), Ian Chang.
According to court documents, it was ordered that the Minister of Education explain why her decision to send Chichester on administrative leave from September 11th to December 8th, 2013, should not be overturned and be deemed unlawful, unreasonable, of no legal effect and in breach of the Teaching Service Commission Rules, “in breach of and a denial of the principles of natural justice and legitimate expectations and ultra vires the Presidents’ College Act of 1990.”
Moves by the Ministry to transfer Chichester as Head teacher of Covent Garden Secondary is also being challenged on the grounds that it was a biased decision.
In her Affidavit in support of Motion, Chichester said that she had been employed at President’s College since 1989, first as an Assistant Mistress and moving up to Graduate Deputy Principal. From January 2009, the official was appointed to act as Principal until September 2011.
Chichester tendered copies of her approval letters in support of the affidavit. On October 12, 2009, she applied for the position of Principal which was advertised in the newspapers.
The court documents said that at the time, there was an Appointment and Discipline Committee which would gather to review all applications to the College.
The court documents states that prior to attending an interview, the Chairman of the School Board, David de Groot, attempted to appoint one Mr. Baijnauth as Principal without an application or an interview.
However, this was met with objections from Colwyn King, a representative of the Guyana Teachers Union who insisted that the said appointment was not proper.
“That I was informed by the said Board and verily believe that I was the only Applicant for the vacancy and I had met all the necessary requirements and was recommended to the School’s Board to be appointed as Principal. That the said Board met and my Application Form with Recommendation was given to the Chairman Mr. David De Groot who decided not to address same.”
Chichester claimed that she never received a feedback from the Board with respect to her application and later saw the post for Principal being advertised again in the newspapers. She again applied. She was never informed of the application’s status.
In July 2010, she queried the application and was informed that a date would be set upon her return from Trinidad. However, no interview was held.
However, one month later, Chichester said she was summoned to a special board meeting of the school where she was informed that there was also another applicant, a Miss De Santos, who would be appointed Principal as of September 2010.
Chichester claimed that she sent a letter to the then Minister of Education, Shaik Baksh, raising concerns over the appointment.
On February 22, 2011, the vacancy for Principal was again advertised.
“That I was invited to an interview on the 12th day of May, 2011, and was the lone attendee. Mr. David De Groot, called and indicated to the Board that Ms Rhius-Thorman who was another applicant but was ill and would have to be interviewed on the 20th day of May, 2011.”
Chichester said she again wrote Minister Baksh complaining about the process and the “injustice I have been suffering at the hands of Mr. De Groot.”
One month later, the post was again advertised but Chichester said she did not apply this time around.
During that same year, the Deputy Head said she was called and offered the position of Principal of Friendship Secondary School, but she refused. She also declined another similar offer last year to be head of a Region Four school.
In January, she was called by Melicita Bovell, School Board Coordinator, who informed her that she was being transferred to Covent Garden Secondary School. However, the Deputy Head said she did not accept the letter.
Chichester claimed that she never requested a transfer from President’s College to Covent Garden Secondary or to any school at all. That same January, she was called by the Chief Education Officer Mr. Olatto Sam who asked her to disregard the transfer letter.
However, on September 3rd this year she received a letter from the Ministry of Education which indicated that “Approval was granted by the Hon. Minister of Education acting under (Section II i of the PC Act of 1990 ) for you to be transferred from President’s College to Covent Garden Secondary School …”
Chichester said she was invited to a meeting with Minister Priya Manickchand where she was told that the decision to transfer her to Covent Garden Secondary was because of complaints by the Chief Education Officer and Bovell. These complaints accuse Chichester of being arrogant.
Both the Chief Education Officer and Bovell were invited to the meeting “and I repeated to the Honourable Minister my exasperating plight as Deputy Principal and Acting Principal and all of the issues that surrounded my tenure.”
The Deputy Head said she later received a letter dated September 11th, 2013, from Delma Nedd, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education which said that she was being sent on administrative leave with pay until December 8th.2013.
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