Disciplinary hearing for teacher delayed

Educator Alwyn Babb’s disciplinary hearing has been adjourned until June 8.

According to trade unionist Caswell Franklyn who accompanied the suspended teacher to the hearing at the Ministry of the Civil Service on Tuesday, the absence of a witness forced the adjournment.

“We went, charges were read, he pleaded not guilty, and they said that the witness wasn’t available because they had another urgent matter to attend to. So we will return on June 8,” Franklyn told Barbados TODAY.

That will be a day after Wilkie Cumberbatch Primary School teacher Pedro Shepherd is due to have his hearing. The former Barbados Union of Teachers president has confirmed getting correspondence from the Ministry of the Civil Service in which he was given a June 7 date.

On April 5, Shepherd and Babb, a teacher at the Lester Vaughan Secondary School, were sent on half-pay leave for six months for allegedly breaching the General Orders 3.18.1 and Paragraph 2 (h) of the Code of Discipline, by contesting the January 19, 2022 general elections.

Babb contested the St Peter seat while Shepherd ran in St Michael South East, both for the Democratic Labour Party (DLP). (AH)