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Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Education Dr. Pauline Antoine-Prospere, has weighed in on the controversial three-day suspension of a Patricia D. James Secondary School student for making an ‘unauthorised’ ambulance call.
He called an ambulance for another student who was unwell and received a three-day suspension for failure to follow ‘due process’ regarding health emergencies and using his mobile telephone without permission.
The incident ignited a social media firestorm, with many individuals condemning the suspension and hailing the suspended student as a hero.
Education Ministry Parliamentary Secretary Dr. Pauline Antoine-Prospere told reporters Tuesday that, in theory, the child may have had to contact the authorities.
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“They had to follow protocol. But I would not have condemned the child for doing that,” the veteran former educator stated.
And she was of the view that the punishment was not commensurate with the act.
“It could have been handled a lot better,” Antoine-Prospere told reporters.
She disclosed that when the Ministry of Education learned of the matter, the suspension period had elapsed.
“So as a result, we could not ask the school authorities to reverse the suspension,” the Ministry official explained.
Regarding an apology, she disclosed that there was an ongoing dialogue with the school and the matter would be resolved ‘amicably’.
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But in an interview with the DBS Newsworld on Tuesday, the father of the student who made the ambulance call accused the authorities of trying to cover up the the matter.
DBS reported that the mother of the sick child for whom the ambulance was summoned felt the suspended student is a hero.
The mother said his actions saved her daughter’s life, since the girl suffers from a heart condition.
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