Bullied schoolgirl resumes learning at new school

News Angelo Marcelle 19 Hrs Ago

Arima MP Pennelope Beckles. The Arima MP's office helped a bullied schoolgirl resume learning at a new school. - File photo by Angelo Marcelle

A bullied schoolgirl's dream of resuming and completing her secondary school education has become a reality.

In November, the mental struggles of 14-year-old Annalisa (not her real name) to be placed in a new secondary school, after she complained of incessant bullying, were highlighted. Her parents eventually had to remove her after the first term of form one, in the hopes of having her transferred to another school.

That move ended up costing the Arima teen two precious years of secondary schooling, as her transfer application became an example of public service bureaucracy at its worst.

Annalisa was finally able to enter that long-deserved zone of peace in a new school on November 24. Her mother said she was overwhelmed with joy and is deeply thankful for the long-awaited outcome.

“She is happy too bad,” the mother said as she spoke of her daughter.

“Two days after the story came out in the papers, the office manager of Arima MP Pennelope Beckles contacted me. The office manager told me she did not know my daughter was still not placed in a new school. She promised to contact someone to urgently deal with the matter.”

On November 19, the office manager of the Arima MP contacted the teen's mother and told her to head to the Ministry of Education in Port of Spain.

“I went to register immediately. I got the call from the office manager at 9 am, and by 1 pm, I had completed the registration. The librarian at the ministry gave me half of the books from the book list. So, she had a real good start. I bought the uniform, and she started school on Monday (November 24).”

According to the relieved mother, the first week of classes in her daughter's new school went smoothly.

“Annalisa is still smiling from ear to ear. Even though she began when the tests had already started, everyone was very helpful. They (classmates) are helping her by sharing their class notes. She did the exams and said, ‘I write what I knew.’

"But the teachers told her don’t worry. She has been smiling all week. She needed that environment, with such an accommodating staff and wonderful classmates. She has a lot of notes to catch up on, and we’ll be going over the work to bring her up to speed.”