Planned protest at Steer Town Academy fizzles

A planned protest at Steer Town Academy in St Ann, in support of dismissed principal Sharn Mangol, failed to materialise on Thursday as parents stayed away.

Mangol was dismissed by the school board on Tuesday after a disciplinary hearing into a Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) examination fraud at the school in 2022.

Action was also brought against two teachers at the institution, accused of being part of the scheme. Andre Yeeshui, the school's grade 10 supervisor, was dismissed, while the other teacher implicated in the fraud, is to be demoted.

The Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) had previously planned a meeting for 2 p.m. at a church near the school but shifted the meeting to 7 a.m. Thursday, after news emerged that the principal had been forced to step down.

A message on social media overnight urged parents and their children to gather at the school gate on Thursday to protest, purportedly in support of the principal.

But The Gleaner understands that a stern warning was issued by the police about any possible disruption to public order by the group.

Two police vehicles and two Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) vehicles, with security personnel, were on the scene from early.

Reporters at the scene waited several hours before it could be confirmed that the planned action had been called off.

One parent later told The Gleaner that Mangol's dismissal is the culmination of a long power struggle between the principal and some members of staff, because the principal, after being confirmed in the post, sought to streamline certain operations at the school in order to improve accountability.

“Some parent appreciate that move, and also the fact that he is really trying to improve discipline at the school, and that's why they are still supporting him,” the parent said.

However, the parent said there are those, parents and teachers alike, who see his style as too stern.

- Carl Gilchrist

Follow The Gleaner on X and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.