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The woeful plight of a teacher who didn’t get his salary

Sep 23, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor,
I tell you, there are people and there are people. I have learnt ages ago that it is within the very nature of Man to help one another, but why some folks do not beats me. Here is a somewhat disturbing state of affairs as relates to a trained teacher who is assigned to a school in another region away from where he lives.
This teacher has time and again been experiencing difficulties in maintaining the full required level of professionalism and upstanding as is demanded by duty. While this is a failing that cannot be condoned, I’m certain that there are ways and means once played by the rules, in which management has recourse to address this matter. And of course, the authority it appears did, but the course of action that was taken just doesn’t seem right.
For three months – June, July and August – when this teacher went to the bank to uplift his salary . . . there was none! Upon inquiry from the head of his school, they claimed no such knowledge. He further inquired from the Education Officer who also said that he was unaware of any such thing. Nothing was ever said to him, no letter given to him informing him of anything. So then, how was it that for three consecutive months his salary was not posted? How did it happen?
If this is not the way of or the fault of the Ministry of Education, then someone should explain. Don’t people have consideration for the wellbeing of others? This is most callous; what must he do? How will he be able to prepare for this new school term? I recall a similar story some years ago as highlighted by one Geralda Dennison in a letter; “What an unfair world we live in”, about the plight of a teacher who was a victim of bureaucratic lethargy and unconscionable judgement.
This teacher, a father of three and who had been teaching for seventeen years was owed three months’ salary by the state totaling $180,000.00. With children to feed and upkeep and rent to pay, he stole from his place of employment which he admitted to, explained his circumstances and begged for mercy. But his plea fell on deaf ears and he was sentenced to twelve months in jail. Mind you dear reader, what he stole was far below what they owed him. Dear reader, please take note that in spite of him not receiving his three months’ pay he continued teaching – two CXC classes; two third form classes and three second form classes, but that didn’t matter– 12 months jail.
It is such situations that trip people off and provide fertile soil for rebellion.
Now as if the above scenario wasn’t enough agony, here comes the bone breaker, rubbing salt to the wound. This very teacher took some items from COURTS for his mother whom he supports; she is diabetic and depends heavily on him. He has been paying his installments on time and never had a lapse until the above scenario occurred. He respectfully went in to them and informed them about his plight, hoping that they would exercise tolerance thus “flexing” the rules for his predicament. But the company would have none of it; they went to his home and took away every piece of item – business is business.
As can be seen dear reader he defaulted because of not being paid for three consecutive months. I maintain and repeat: poor folks cannot live by all the rules that were made for them; his installments all gone down the drain. This to me is worse than what the brothers who play three cards do. And I’m not in anyway defending those naughty customers one bit but without the human factor being a key element we are doomed. No wonder folks hide, lie, move things out, jump through windows and what’s not. Maybe it doesn’t always pay to be decent.
Frank Fyffe

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