Principal of the Old Harbour High School in St. Catherine Linton Weir is appealing to Jamaicans to be more responsible following the sharing of a video featuring a woman, (whom some say is of unsound mind) accusing female students at the co-ed institution of being prostitutes.
The video, which has been widely shared on social media, shows the woman, clad in a purple top and with money in her hand, in discussion with another female in a car.
“Every night them down there a sell them body, especially the ones that wear the braces on the evening shift,” she asserted, much to the amusement of the female motorist.
Weir said he is aware of the video, which was briefly discussed in a board meeting, as other board members had seen it as well and knew of the lady who is often seen in and around Old Harbour and May Pen. He noted that he had seen about four other videos featuring her.
“People know that she is not stable, and because they know that she is not stable, they just strike up conversations, and then they do the recording and put it on TikTok,” said the principal.
“She knows quite well that she has been able to gain attention from the public, so when individuals within the public happen to see her, they use it as a means of taunting her, and what she will do is that she will speak openly, and in speaking openly, she tries to disrespect,” noted the principal.
He however, cautions Jamaicans against abusing the mentally ill by targeting them for such videos that are aimed at going viral. He said some days, the lady is seen trying to solicit a ride from passing motorists.
“I think the authorities and other individuals in the mental health field should try to find out who she is related to and try to provide her with some help because definitely she needs help,” he said.
In observing that Jamaica has become a more litigious society in recent years, the school principal urged bloggers and those trying to increase their following on social media to be careful.
“We have to be careful what we are doing. We have to be very very careful. We cannot be doing things because we want a ‘like’. There are so many things that are happening in the social space right now. Our people need to be very responsible. Be responsible in how we communicate. Be responsible for what we post.”
Weir said commentaries like the one given in the video affect the brand of the school.
“We would have done a lot of work. Students and staff have done a lot of work to position and put Old Harbour High where it is, and so for one individual to be saying these negative things, certainly it would damage the brand. We are not going to be stopping to pay attention to what has been communicated because we know she needs help and there is no value to what she is saying,” he said.
The upgraded high school has turned out students who are making significant contributions in the areas of sports, medicine, the judiciary, and other areas of national development. The institution took the All Together Sing trophy in 2016 and 2018 and has made the semi-finals of the School Challenge Quiz four times.
Weir, who attended the institution, noted that 54 of the 133 teachers are past students. Old Harbour High is currently the largest shift school in St. Catherine and has a population of over 2,500 students enrolled.
