A FEMALE student at the Mico Teachers' College in Kingston narrowly escaped abduction, but is now recuperating from injuries she received after she leapt from a moving taxi and escaped while on her way from a teacher training assignment last Friday.
Mico's Principal, Dr. Claude Packer, has confirmed receiving a report on the incident and said that as a result, the College would possibly be reviewing the current mode of transport for students sent on teaching practice.
Sources told The Gleaner that the incident occurred on Friday afternoon while the student was returning from an assignment at the Holy Trinity High School at Emerald Road, off South Camp Road, to the Errol Miller Ladies Hostel at Arnold Road, Kingston 4.
She boarded what was believed to be a car being used as a route taxi that plies between downtown Kingston and Cross Roads, via South Camp and Camp Roads, but when she was ready to disembark, near the corner of Arnold and Camp Roads, the driver continued driving.
The student jumped from the moving car, injuring herself. A police patrol was reported to have taken her to hospital where she was treated. She later returned to the Ladies Hostel and then left for her home.
Asked why there was no provision for transporting students from the College's hostels to the various Kingston, St. Andrew and St. Catherine schools to which they have been assigned teaching practice, an administrative official at Mico said, "we do not have a working bus."
Dr. Packer, who spoke with The Gleaner later, surmised that the young woman in question must have taken a taxi that did not have public passenger plates and was therefore illegal. He recalled that it was only last week Tuesday, during assembly, that he warned students to avoid using vehicles which were not licensed as taxis. "That's a problem," he said.
According to the principal, two years ago the College offered its bus to transport students "at a fee, but they wouldn't take it." Dr. Packer said he did not consider the cost prohibitive; "it's cheaper than the taxi, but I am assuming that they want it free because it's the school's bus."
Noting that the bus was currently idle, Dr. Packer emphasised that he had advised the students "it would be better for us to bus them to and from" the schools to which they have been assigned teaching practice.
He also said that although the College would have wanted to offer medical and other assistance to the injured student, she left for her home without reporting the incident to the administration. "It's an unfortunate incident and we are sorry about it," he said, adding that "she should have informed us."
Dr. Packer said the administration would revisit the idea of using the College's bus to transport students. "We will have discussions with the students again," he said. "They may now see the wisdom of taking the bus."
