A disturbing pattern of educator misconduct has been exposed in the Trinidad and Tobago school system, with the Teaching Service Commission’s (TSC) 2024 Annual Report revealing 16 separate incidents of teachers sexually abusing female students. Education Minister Dr. Michael Dowlath presented these findings to the House of Representatives on November 21, highlighting systemic failures in addressing professional misconduct within educational institutions.
The comprehensive document detailed 160 disciplinary matters referred to the TSC throughout the reporting period. Beyond the sexual abuse allegations, the commission investigated 16 cases of physical abuse, five instances of verbal abuse, and 15 matters concerning punctuality and attendance irregularities. The report further identified 42 cases of job abandonment, 36 disciplinary tribunal proceedings, and 14 court matters involving educators.
Most alarmingly, thirteen sexual abuse allegations involving five teachers remained active before the TSC tribunal. The cases involved both primary and secondary school environments, with two teachers accused of misconduct with secondary school pupils and three primary school educators allegedly targeting young girls. One primary school Teacher I faced five separate allegations, though the report didn’t specify victim counts or potential repeat offenses. Another Teacher I at a different primary school confronted a single allegation, while a third faced two incidents. In secondary education, a Technical Vocational Teacher I and Temporary Teacher III faced one and four allegations respectively.
The TSC acknowledged significant institutional challenges in promptly resolving disciplinary matters, citing excessive delays in court proceedings and tribunal hearings. Commission Chairman Elizabeth Crouch emphasized particular concern regarding child abuse cases, stating increased attention is being directed toward physical and sexual misconduct involving minors.
In response to these systemic issues, the commission has proposed establishing a dedicated tribunal specifically for teaching matters, anticipated to become operational in 2025. This specialized judicial body would require additional funding but could potentially accelerate resolution of educator misconduct cases.
The report also highlighted widespread punctuality problems, identifying 308 teachers with chronic lateness issues—277 in secondary schools and 31 in primary institutions. Secondary school teachers demonstrated significantly worse attendance records, with 10% accumulating between 1,000-3,999 minutes of tardiness. No primary school teachers reached the 4,000-minute threshold.
Reactions to the findings have been cautious. TT Unified Teachers Association president Crystal Ashe reserved comment pending personal review of the report, while Education Minister Dowlath remained unavailable for immediate response. Chairman Crouch defended the commission’s procedures, emphasizing that all disciplinary matters follow established Public Service Regulations regardless of parallel criminal proceedings.