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  • 7 hours ago
What was meant to be the celebration of a Principal on Mother's Day, has turned into a matter of concern, with an online petition calling for the removal of the Principal.

It comes as parents and past pupils of Holy Name Convent Port of Spain flooded social media, alleging abuse by the educator.

Alicia Boucher tells us more.
Transcript
00:00A glowing tribute in the media about a principal put forward as a matriarch of source of the
00:06holy name convent port of Spain, having served more than two decades, has catapulted into
00:11something else. As the post hit the Instagram page of another media house, the comment section
00:17lit up, but not with a tender light one would expect. It was evident that many of those who
00:23once attended a school and parents of those past and present came together to vend their frustration
00:29over the appointment. One IG user said, quote, this woman put me in trouble for eating a glucose
00:35tablet when my blood sugar was low and always tried to stop me from bringing my test kit into
00:40class with me. I am type one diabetic. End quote. Another said she made me apologize for drinking
00:47water in her class when I was coughing and was sick. But of the over 300 comments, many spoke to
00:55mental and emotional abuse, including being bullied, belittled and more. TV6 News got in
01:01contact with a parent who has a daughter presently attending the school and one who is a past student.
01:06She says her elder daughter had to drop a subject based on her learning capabilities and it didn't
01:12go down well with the nun. The parent says instead of support, she was met with ridicule. She's of the
01:19view that her younger daughter, who she states made a school proud on an athletic level, was victimized
01:25because of that incident and denied from being a prefect without any justification. The parent didn't
01:32want to be named due to her fair victimization of her child who is still in school. TV6 News saw
01:38to
01:38inquire why this is being brought to the forefront at this time, despite allegations that the abuse was
01:44going on for many years. She says the filing of complaints is not easy as the school board is
01:50also run by nuns. Many of those gathered online are now calling for an investigation by the authorities
01:57into the reports that have been placed in the public domain while commending those who are now speaking
02:03up. A petition has also been launched for the principal's removal, which up to late afternoon on
02:09Monday had amassed over 360 signatures. We reached out to the school and left our contact information
02:16requesting a response from the principal. In light of the developing story, we are still awaiting
02:21feedback. TV6 News contacted the Catholic board, Dominican Sisters, which is in part responsible for
02:28the appointment. We were told that a superior sister whom we needed to speak to pertaining to the matter
02:33was unavailable and that the board was presently in mourning over the loss of a sister. We were asked
02:39to attempt reaching out again in a few days. Meanwhile, when contacted, President of the Trinidad
02:45and Tobago Unified Teachers Association, Crystal Bevin Ash, was only now learning of what was transpiring.
02:52Today being the 11th of May, 2026, some information relating to Holy Name Convent,
02:58and Paul of Spain would have been brought to the attention of Tuta. It is attracting our attention
03:03and we are investigating at this point in time. However, in the absence of information, we cannot make
03:09any statement on the situation at this point in time. TV6 News also tried contacting Education Minister
03:15Dr. Michael Dowlath. Calls and messages to his mobile phone have so far gone unanswered. Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
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