A room for learning or loving? - FILE
TEACHERS AND COACHES having sex with students in Jamaican schools appears to be a common occurrence, THE STAR checks have uncovered.
The practice is not just limited to male teachers with female students, as there have been cases of male teachers being involved with male students and female teachers with male students. But, it seems the male teacher with female student scenario is by far the most common.
There have been at least nine such cases that THE STAR has published in the last five years. Of the nine cases, at least seven were male teachers with female students.
The Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA) said they have only seen two cases since 2003. But, they were quick to point out that this did not mean it was not rampant.
"We would only see the cases that come to the centre and these are the ones we can account for. It may be happening but if it doesn't come here we wouldn't know about it," said Inspector Duetress Foster-Gardener of CISOCA.
"That doesn't mean it was not reported to other police stations or that it is not happening a lot," she said.
Although the student-teacher relationships are not new, the Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA) says it 'frowns on the practice'.
CONDEMNS RELATIONSHIPS
"The JTA totally condemns any such action. We have a code of conduct which deals with that matter and under that code we do not condone it," said President of the JTA, Ruel Reid.
However the JTA's condemnation of the practice has not stopped teachers from having relationships with students.
Thirty-one-year-old social studies teacher Mark, has had at least three relationships with students in the past. Mark, who teaches in rural Jamaica, said he got intimately involved with a student after she started telling him how much she liked him.
"She was fairly attractive and she kept saying that she cared about me and wanted to be with me so I decided I would be with her if she decided it would be between us," he said.
Mark said that was five years ago and at the time the student was 14. Since then, he has had relations with two other students whose ages were between 15 and 16.
"What I would do is make them meet me on weekends. I would tell them that during regular school hours she was not to push her luck and everything would be all right," said Mark.
The teacher of 10 years said he stopped the practice last year after he read of another teacher who was arrested and charged with carnal abuse for being involved with a 14-year-old student.
FEELING GUILTY
Mark said when he just started there was a feeling of guilt. But, he later stifled his conscience. "I knew it was wrong when I just started but as a man, you know you sometimes fall to temptation and so after a while, I no longer felt badly as it became normal for me," he said.
The teacher added he did not think the relationships affected any of the girls. The relationships he said were ended mutually, just as they started.
"The first one was worried her mom would find out and so she finished it. It didn't affect her school work and she didn't show any difference in behaviour so I don't think she was affected. The second one migrated and we lost contact while the third one ended it because she found someone else," he said.
Mark adds now that he will never do it again because he can be arrested if caught.
"I don't want to go to prison after what I saw happening to others and I can't bother with the hiding thing so I haven't done it since the last one which was about a year ago," he said.
For Mary, a 16-year-old student, she got involved with a teacher after he made the first move. The girl said she felt guilty about the three month-long relationship but still went ahead with it. "He was very nice but I felt guilty at the time about it. I knew it was wrong, but because of how I am, where at times mi nuh watch nuh face, I just went on with it. It didn't last though because he lived too far and we couldn't be too open at school with it," she said.
Mary maintains the relationship never got physical because she wanted to know him better. She said during the time her grades got better because he would help her with her work. However, she said she would not get involved in another relationship of that kind.
"I used to use that as the excuse to be around him but we just dated because I wanted to know him better, but he just wanted to jump the ship right away and I told him that it couldn't work," she said.
Of the nine cases which THE STAR reported, the ages of the students have ranged from three to 17 years.
In January, 2002 Vernal Campbell, a 50-year-old teacher, was charged with carnal abuse after he allegedly molested an 11-year-old student. In 2003, another teacher Robert Lewis, 39 was charged with indecent assault and buggery after he allegedly molested five boys. At the time of his arrest, the court was told he was put on probation three years earlier for a similar offence.
THE STAR understands, however, that there was another matter where a teacher of a corporate area high school became sexually involved with a 17-year-old student. The matter was reported to the police but no action was taken against the teacher. But, school officials said he was asked to resign.
IMPROPER RELATIONS
"We were told that a teacher and a student had improper relations and when we investigated the matter the student denied it," said the principal. "When she left school she made a similar accusation after the relationship went sour. The teacher admitted the relationship with the student and I showed him the door."
According to Ruel Reid, the matter of punishing teachers who become involved with students is usually dealt with by the school board. He adds, however, that under The Child Care and Protection Act, if the child is a minor, meaning under the age of 18, the school is legally bound to report the incident.
"In that case, the police supersedes the schools as it is now a criminal matter. And, we have to do so under the Child Care and Protection Act," he said.
Under section 6 of the Child Care and Protection Act, teachers and school officials are bound to report such incidents.
Dr. Grace Kelly, president of The Guidance Counsellors' Association, said such a relationship is unhealthy for both teacher and student. She said when the relationships do not work out, the child's schoolwork is sometimes affected and he or she may have low self-esteem. Dr. Kelly said in most cases such relationships are abusive rather than healthy.
"Sometimes the child may be in need of an adult figure or they have feelings for the person. Nothing is wrong with that child demonstrating having feelings in a context. It's the adults who should learn self control and say what is propelling this feeling," she said.
Psychologist Dr. Asquith Reid agrees with Dr. Kelly, but adds that both teacher and student may be affected at a later date.
"The child's interpersonal relationship may be affected for life. The relationship with their peers might be destroyed. They may think they are more privileged than others so they don't have to work as hard and it may spill over into the working world where they think a manager may not like them because they have to work harder than normal," he said.
In terms of the teacher, Dr. Reid said he may be shunned by his peers because of the relationship.
Dr. Reid adds that he has seen cases of this nature and that they are difficult to handle especially in the case of the student who may have difficulty putting out effort in any task that is assigned.
* Names changed
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