Livern Barrett, Gleaner Writer

The female teacher who was viciously beaten inside her classroom in front of terrified students at Dunrobin Primary School in St Andrew two weeks ago says she is terrified about having to go back to work because she believes the attack was "well-orchestrated".

The teacher, whose identity is being withheld by The Gleaner, declined to speculate on who was behind the attack, but said she had an idea of the reason behind it.

"Every time I am to go back (to work), I get this fear and this phobia ... ," she said.

"It's gonna be very, very hard for me."

In her first public comments since the shocking October 1 incident, the teacher recounted that she was conducting a class when she saw two men standing at the entrance to the classroom.

She said she thought they were parents and greeted them with a smile and asked how she could assist when suddenly they unleashed a barrage of blows all over her body.

"Me only hear the person say 'a you a tek set pan me cousin' and I don't think I got the chance to respond ... . I just saw the hand pull back and come forward and I can't tell you what happened after that," she told The Gleaner yesterday.

"I heard that I was severely battered, but I have no recollection of it. Not even the first hit I can't recall ... . I can't tell you what that felt like."

However, she said some of her students have described to her how she was punched to the ground, kicked repeatedly and left bloodied on the floor of the classroom.

Still traumatised

The primary school teacher said she remains traumatised by the incident and denied assaulting any of her students.

"The police have done a thorough investigation and they have said there is nothing to back that up," she said in reference to any suggestion that the attack was a reprisal for her assault on a student.

On the contrary, the teacher said she believed the assault stemmed from "some issues" that had developed several days earlier.

The teacher was also angry that, according to her, no one from the Ministry of Education has sought to contact her more than two weeks since the incident.

"No one has contacted me to find out what happened ... . 'Is it true? Why did you do this? Why did you not do that?' Nobody," she insisted.

But Grace McLean, acting permanent secretary in the education ministry, said that assertion was incorrect.

McLean said records show that the regional guidance officer visited the teacher on October 4.

"So the region has been providing support," she said.

In addition, McLean said a case file was currently being prepared to be sent to the Attorney General's Department to determine whether the teacher should be provided with financial compensation.

livern.barrett@gleanerjm.com