Seaforth High board to meet Monday to determine fate of principal and bursar - Jamaica Observer

The entrance to Seaforth High School in St Thomas. (Photo: Arnold Kelly)

OBSERVER ONLINE understands that the board of Seaforth High school in St Thomas will convene for a 'special meeting' on Monday to confer on the fate of principal Calbert Thomas, and the school's bursar, Noel Williamson, who were both sent on leave with immediate effect this week.

"The board already met this week, but there will be follow-up discussions on Monday to determine the fates of both gentlemen, pending further action. The men will remain off the job pending the outcome of investigations by the school's Personnel Committee," the source told OBSERVER ONLINE.

The decision to send the principal and bursar on leave followed a board meeting on Wednesday.

The flurry of meetings was triggered by the conclusion in a months-long investigation by the Ministry of Education, which uncovered several financial irregularities at the school, including the non-remittance of deductions.

In November last year, angry teachers staged a sit-in over two days at the school to protest the non-payment of deductions.

READ: Seaforth High teachers protest over non-payment of salary deductions

The deductions should have been remitted to the Accountant General's Department and Sagicor Life.

The report pointed to a litany of irregularities and investigators allegedly uncovered irrefutable evidence that there was an unauthorised overriding of standard internal control mechanisms.

The Financial Management report recommended that the failure of the principal and bursar to remit employees' personal deductions was a result of dereliction of duty which should be met with disciplinary action.

According to a Financial Management report, the school's administrators withheld employees' deductions and pension payments for the period September 2021 to September 2022.

The total amount withheld for the period was reportedly more than $21 million.

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Seaforth High board to meet Monday to determine fate of principal and bursar - Jamaica Observer
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