Alleged abuse at St. John’s College investigated, near resolved – MoE Rep

A fifth-form student of St. John’s College in Georgetown recently alleged that he was abused by teachers and his peers, prompting an investigation by the Ministry of Education.

The young man complained of the physical, mental, and verbal abuse he faced at the school in a Facebook post made earlier in September. He also uploaded a video of another student hitting him.

He claimed that he faced this abuse because of his sexuality; he identifies as a member of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ+) community.

Asked for an update on the matter, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education Alfred King said that the matter was immediately investigated by the ministry.

“Once those things get to the attention of the leadership of the ministry, we instantly try to engage the stakeholders, not only do an investigation but to provide immediate support to all those who are impacted,” King told reporters on Thursday.

He added, “We’ve been giving that support.”

Because of the sensitivity of the matter, he did not offer specific details on what interventions have been instituted. King, however, said that the possible transfer of the student to another school is still being considered.

He also posited that the matter has been resolved “by and large, by a number of measures and interventions”.