Bradshaw says viral video not funny, threatening teachers not acceptable

Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw has condemned a video of an exchange between a secondary school student and a teacher which has been making the rounds on social media.

In the video, the male student, on whom the camera focuses, can be seen having a heated exchange with a teacher who is off camera.

In parts of the video, the teacher is heard saying “ You think this classroom is yours…so that is how you doing it…you are so stupid, it is amazing…. You will be sorry…. I will stand and read about you…. You can’t even read”.

In response, the boy said: “Come and touch me nuh, come and touch me…. When I done with you, you gine can’t read…. I would swell up them two eyes for you.”

In a brief statement, Bradshaw said she shared “the outrage of all who would have seen the videos circulating on social media of the student-teacher exchange which was further fueled by laughter amongst students at one of our secondary schools”.

“It was neither funny nor demonstrative of who we are as a people, or who we must allow ourselves to be or even to become,” Bradshaw said, adding that the behaviour displayed in the video, although only part of the exchange, was “not acceptable”.

The Education Minister added that threats against teachers will not be tolerated.

“I absolutely condemn the tone and the attitude of the student and wish to reaffirm that while this Ministry will always seek to protect the rights of students at all times, so too do we denounce any implicated threats to the well-being of our teachers,” she said.

“I commend the firmness of the teacher, even though I would prefer a better choice of language used in engaging with the student…. Clearly, there are behavioural and respect for authority issues exhibiting in the video and I can assure that Ministry will ensure that there is apt professional intervention to assist all parties involved,” Bradshaw added.