The final arguments from lawyers representing all parties in the Alexandra School Dispute have been submitted and Barbadians await the report from lone Commissioner Frederick Waterman. It is obviously the report will be delivered before the September school term begins.
There was a sense by BU during the last two weeks of the Inquiry that it was hurried along; and for an obvious reason. The first school term is scheduled to begin on the 10 September 2012 and given known timelines the Waterman Report will be late. Therefore the 64k question is – what will be the next phase of the AX Affair?
It is early days yet to evaluate the performance of the Alexandra Commission. However, BU is concerned the Commissioner made some questionable decisions which will impact the quality of the final report. For example, it is understood from our sources that the aunt of Miss X whom we reported on another blog the student in the transcript affair was to go to live in the USA to facilitate school there, was in Barbados and prepared to give evidence. BU understands she was seized with interesting bits of information as a result of her visit to the school to which Miss X was to attend and where the transcript was allegedly sent by the secretary. Our source has advised that she had proof no such transcript was received by the US school. A reasonable conclusion to be made, the transcript was never sent. We have been reliably advised that Commissioner Waterman refused to allow this witness to be called.
One would have thought if the Commissioner had access to a witness who promised to clarify if any witness committed perjury, it would have been allowed in the interest of justice.
Another issue which the BU family should be apprised is that legal counsel representing the different parties at the AX Inquiry were granted different times for closing submissions. For example, Hal Gollop who represented the BSTU was allowed 1hr 20 minutes. Counsel for the Commission was allowed 2hrs 20 minutes. Vernon Smith and Cecil McCarthy who represented Broomes spoke for 30 minutes. Counsel for Keith Simmons was allowed 1hr plus. How was time allocation determined by the Commissioner?
It is interesting though that the Alexandra School Fourth Fourth orientation scheduled for this week has be pushed back to the opening day of the school term.
Follow the COI from the beginning (in descending order):
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