Why was I transferred from the College?

Fri, Sept 24, 2010

Editor: I take this opportunity to respond to some of my critics who believe that my transfer from the A level College to the Georgetown Secondary School is not political and that no victimization is involved. They argue that there is a greater need for me at Georgetown Secondary than at the A’ level College.{{more}}

On the contrary, I am of the humble view that my affiliation with the New Democratic Party played a significant role in my removal from that the A’ level College.

Let me state some basic facts. I was transferred from the St Martin’s Secondary School to the A’ level College in September 2007. During my tenure at the College, I taught CAPE Pure Mathematics Units 1 and 2 as well as two UWI level 1 Courses: Econ 1003 – Maths for Social Sciences and Econ 1005 – Introduction to Statistics. The pass rate for the students I taught ranged from 75% to 90%. In the 2009/10 academic year in particular, the four(4) UWI students taking Introduction to Statistics were successful, while 40 of the 54 A’ level students were successful at Cape Pure Math Units 1 and 2. There was a total of eleven grade 1s with 6 distinctions. It was against this background that I received a letter from the Director of the SVG Community College on Friday, 3rd September (dated August 31st), stating that I have been transferred to the Georgetown Secondary School.

I ask this question: Why was I transferred from the College?

I know that it could not be because of poor performance because the academic results speak for themselves. Neither could it be because I did not take my jobs seriously, because I never missed a single class; I gave holiday classes and I sacrificed my lunch hours on several occasions just to help students who were facing difficulties. In the Math department at the College, the 2 other Math lecturers and I worked as a team, setting class tests and Module exams. We helped students who had problems regardless to whose group they belonged. Therefore, it could not be argued that I was not pulling my weight. So what was the real reason behind my transfer?

Also, I ask the following questions:

If I was really needed at Georgetown Secondary, why was I sent to the George Stephens Secondary School after being at the Georgetown Secondary School for only 4 days?

Why was I not time tabled to teach Math at the 4th and 5th form levels at Georgetown Secondary School?

Am I to believe that because I happen to have a B Sc Math(First Class Honours) and a Master of Philosophy degree in Mathematical Statistics that I am not qualified enough to teach CXC Math at the Georgetown Secondary?

While I am on this, let me remind readers that in 2003, after acting one year as Deputy Principal at the Georgetown Secondary School and helping the school to get its best CXC Math results ever (80%), I was transferred from the Georgetown Secondary to the North Union Secondary School. As a matter of fact, the very day when the CXC results came and I was at the school rejoicing, I was handed the transfer letter.

If this was not victimization, then what?

Finally, for the first 23 years of my teaching career, I taught at two schools (North Union and Georgetown Secondary), but from since 2002 to the present time, I have been assigned to seven (7) different institutions. Why is this so? I need answers.

Elvis Daniel