02 September 2011
Dear parents,
My name is Aabida Darvesh and I was an assistant teacher at Linden Primary School up until the end of last term.
I am writing to you as I feel it is now my duty to inform you of the actual facts behind the stories (as it involved me) surrounding the head teacher Zaheer Mohamed who was suspended by the previous school governors and who was the actual cause of so many of the problems at Linden Primary school over the last 12months.
Last year I applied via the official channels for a request for time off for religious purposes, specifically for Hajj as allowed for under the LA agreed policy for leave. This was declined by the head teacher who never informed the governing body of the request even though they had the overall responsibility for dealing with such requests. I held a meeting with the headteacher to review my request and to discuss if possible, a workable solution could be found in order for me to fulfil my Hajj.
During this meeting he taunted, belittled and humiliated me with numerous religiously discriminatory derogatory comments such as “go and work in an Islamic School and become a Mulla if you want to go Hajj“, along with threatening my job if I pursued the matter, he also expressed his views on my religion (Islam) within the workplace and the fact that his name should not let me think he was a Muslim as he was not a Muslim. He stated that “this is not an Islamic school and this school does not accommodate religion.” His extreme views and behaviour as a head teacher left me humiliated and considering my position.
After taking advice and talking to my family I believed I had no choice but to file a grievance in relation to his conduct. I was placed on paid leave until my grievance was heard by the LEA due to the nature of my grievance.
My grievance against the headteacher’s conduct was heard by the governing body chair and the LEA jointly. After a full investigation I was informed by the LEA and Chair that the head teacher was found to have lied during his interviews and statement which placed his credibility and conduct in serious doubt. My grievance was therefore upheld to my amazement as I thought the matter would be swept under the carpet. The headteacher and myself had the right to appeal this decision. The Head teacher represented by his union decided not to appeal the decision by the Chair of Governors and LEA to up hold my grievance.
When the outcome of the grievance was declared, Reena Kapadia HR from the LEA, asked me if I would like to continue working in the school or another school. I decided to continue working at Linden as the matter as far as I was concerned had been dealt with, however I did highlight that I was afraid that I would be the subject of hearsay. Both the LEA and governing body Chair gave express reassurance that they would provide support to me in and would meet with me over a period of time to ensure no problems arose. Content with this, we officially agreed a return date at the end of Nov 2010 and a status review date.
As the headteacher did not appeal the grievance, the governing body thereafter started to take a course of action against the headteacher which I was neither consulted nor informed of as this was nothing to do with me and concerned disciplinary matters which resulted from my grievance, his conduct during the grievance and past similar grievances investigated against him which I have subsequently learned about from parents concerned. Soon afterwards the headteacher was suspended during his disciplinary investigation. As feared, there were rumours emerging within the school that the suspension of the headteacher was in relation to a request for Hajj. This created a very difficult working environment for myself as I felt that I was the topic of conversation.
I was even further distressed by the LEA failing to communicate with me and that they were publically announcing that the LEA were looking to reinstate the headteacher. They was no due consultation nor consideration for my well being within the school, nor for the larger religious community which attended the school, who would be deeply offended and disturbed about his view and conduct if it became public.
I consequently filed for a further second grievance as I was not offered any support since the issues against the headteacher became public, and throughout my working day, staff speculated on the matter in my presence. It took approximately 3 months for this second grievance to be taken seriously and the request was only processed after significant pressure was applied in the form of copying in counsellors and MP’s. Throughout this time I was placed in an extremely difficult and stressful position as I had to put up with people vocally making derogatory remarks over the individual who filed the grievance against the head teacher and the circumstances surrounding it.
I was the victim in this whole affair yet I was provided no support and instead was allowed to be turned into the guilty party. I maintained a high level professionalism and integrity throughout and I lost all faith in the LEA process which was suppose to protect victims not lynch them. All this hastened my consideration to leave the school.
I trust this provides you all with some clarity that many of you having been longing to find out since the release of private and confidential information in the media. I can only urge all of you to think about the implication of the past last 10 months and the impact of such intolerance for religion within the workplace and more specifically prejudicial Islamaphobic views held by Zaheer Mohammed at Linden primary school and in the wider educational field. The blind support of the LEA for such views should also be questioned in terms of community cohesion.
Yours faithfully,
Aabida Darvesh
It is a real shame that such a tolerant, open minded and respectable head teacher took such a long time to come back to Linden. He makes the school what it is; a happy, warm and friendly school where religion is celebrated and brought forward to show children that no matter what background they come from, ultimately they are all humans and can all live harmoniously together.
ReplyDeleteIt is no wonder why people around you were 'vocally making derogatory remarks over the individual who filed the grievance against the head teacher and the circumstances surrounding it' as they must have a lot of respect for Zaheer Mohamed. In his absence, the school suffered, the parents were understandably angry, the children felt unsettled and the staff were left in the dark whilst by the sounds of it you swanned in and swanned out of work as if you did nothing wrong.
You ruined a man's livelihood and put intense pressure on his family.
Thankfully Zaheer Mohamed has returned to Linden and has started to heal the wounds that were caused by someone who had bitter, vengeful and had spiteful reasons in getting him suspended.
In fact, it's a good job that the governing body was dissolved as every action they took was not done in a professional manner going through the correct loopholes and instead done on the sly. This shows that yourself and the governing body had some sort of vendetta against Zaheer Mohamed and i'm glad to say that good eventually overcomes bad.
On a final note, going on Hajj is one of those blessings that every muslim must take if they're in a position to do so. Going there needs to be done with a clear conscious and with no bad vibes. You have made a complete mockery of the system which would have been crystal clear if you had followed the correct protocols. Every interviewer asks whether you have any holidays planned, for you not to state that you were even considering fulfilling the Hajj, and then a couple of days before you start school you say you're going on Hajj is unacceptable. Don't get the truth mixed up by what you have concocted in your mind to make out as if your reasoning is valid.
This dig at Zaheer Mohamed has been going on long enough and you have taken every opportunity through the media to get 'your story' heard. Someone with a guilty conscious has to keep blabbering on about 'their story' however someone with a clear conscious stays quiet and lets the drama fizzle out. We don't belong in Eastenders, this is real life and you are hurting real people. Stop this nonsense now and move on with your life because ultimately, you're going to have to answer to someone a lot greater.
So sad to hear all this, from what I have seen from Mr Mohammed, he is such a lovely gentleman and many other parents think so too.
ReplyDeleteHe has my full support in this unfortunate incident.
It's such a shame to see people feel the need to drag out problems and complaints into a public arena. Is very uncouth to make public slurs against an individual. It is respectful of Mr Mohammed to keep a dignified silence on this matter.
I believe that teachers and those individuals who are responsible for holding a respectable position in society should act with dignity and not make a debacle of their situation.
I am sorry that the teacher in question has been so upset , however, there are always two sides to a story and two people and their families who suffered. Its just unfortunate that a situation in the work place - and lets face it - in every walk of life there are problems in the work place, are turned into a 'big brother' style of controversy.
Good luck to Mr Mohammed and all the best in the future
Mrs KP and family
Aabida, i have just read all this. You are so in the wrong, I don't think that it could have been all that difficult for you listening to comments from other members of staff, or that you were really the topic of conversation, did you want to be? If that were the case you'd probably have tried to ruin more lives and get them all suspended too. How thoughtless you have been. I hope that you can move on and are happy now. We can't forget that difficult time, when you attempted to ruin a decent man. Even at your time of leaving you had to run him and us down with your slanderous and petty "Truth about Linden Primary Headteacher" letter to "All Parents". I work at Linden, we have fabulous families, and children who we strive to teach and enrich everyday. That was our focus during the difficult time, not you, please remember this always.
ReplyDeleteHow obsurd are responses to this article. Its as though collegues are in denial of Mr Mohammeds unprofessional conduct in dealing with this matter. The dig is not at Mr Mohammed, its at the offended member of staff here. I think this agenda of 'looking after your own' seems to be rather profound and these devisions and descriminations against less significant staff are being entertained and encouraged by staff at Linden. How dispicable for a primary school. Morality isn't enough of a priority anymore. What will children learn in such an unstable and self corrupting institute.
ReplyDeletei hatee zaheeer muhammed he looks nice appears nice but he is a selfish dog
ReplyDeleteIts despicable to think that the above readers/posters/teachers have not taken in to consideration the statements:
ReplyDelete"numerous religiously discriminatory derogatory comments such as “go and work in an Islamic School and become a Mulla if you want to go Hajj“, along with threatening my job if I pursued the matter, he also expressed his views on my religion (Islam) within the workplace and the fact that his name should not let me think he was a Muslim as he was not a Muslim. He stated that “this is not an Islamic school and this school does not accommodate religion.”
If such comments were proven to be true, he should be stuck off. Had this been the case of a GP in the NHS, he would be gone. If however, these statements were prove to be lies, then this article would can be used in court in a Libel case against the said victim. Since the latter did not take place, one can assume at this stage that those statements were made.
This all It goes to show what a dangerous and messed up world we live in and how, in education, the teacher are failed by the very system that employs them.
Deport him
ReplyDelete