An under-fire chairman of a primary school board in St Thomas has stoutly declared that he is no Obeah man, and said that he would continue to serve in that capacity, despite opposition.

Tension rose at Grant’s Pen Primary and Infant School in the eastern parish when calls came from parents, teachers and the school’s principal for the removal of the chairman, Raleigh Christie, a bishop in a revival church, and another individual, from the board of the rural institution.

Christie, who was appointed in May, has been characterised as an Obeah man by the school in a letter to the Ministry of Education and its National Council on Education (NCE).

The NCE is responsible for processing the appointment of school boards.

But Christie told the Jamaica Observer yesterday that he is no Obeah man, while confirming his faith as Revival.

“There’s no such thing about Obeah. I’m a Revivalist. I have my church. I have more than one church but you know from back in the day coming up, from you’re a Revivalist they classify you as Obeah person. They need to know the difference between Obeah and a spiritual person. Obeah is a practice and we don’t practice that. We keep church. We read Bible; we sing songs. So it’s not true. I don’t know nothing about Obeah,” Bishop Christie said.

In the first letter dated June 4, which the Sunday Observer has seen, school Principal Reverend Dr Jillian Jackson raised concerns about Christie and the other board member’s appointment.

The principal said she was writing to record her concern regarding the appointments.

She said a member who has had a long-standing dispute with staff at the school had been appointed and that this appointment “could create an unhealthy ethos in the institutions and fuel further conflicts among the staff and other key stakeholders”.

She asked that the female member’s appointment be reconsidered. The woman was reportedly appointed by Member of Parliament James Robertson.

“I also have concerns regarding the chairman who was recently appointed. I am doubtful whether he has the appropriate character traits that are befitting to lead a public educational institution. It is my opinion that concerted effort should be made to raise the profile of the school, as research has shown that governance plays a critical role in this regard.

“I wonder if the National Council on Education had conducted the due diligence to determine whether the persons selected as council nominees would be able to effectively contribute to the development of the school? In light of the challenges the rural schools face, it is necessary that persons with the appropriate skills, knowledge and attributes are selected to serve on the boards of management in order to assist the institutions to thrive,” the principal said in her letter.

A second letter which was signed by parents, teachers and members of the community and seen by the Sunday Observer, expressed “extreme concern” about the two appointments.

“We do not believe that these individuals are suitable to be the board chairman and member of our school board, respectively. We would like to know if background checks were done on these two people before appointing them to the board.

“People are particularly fearful of the reputation of Bishop Raleigh Christie in the community as a practising Obeah man,” the letter, which was undated, said.

Bishop Christie said he had no challenges serving: “I don’t have a problem being there (chairman). I don’t have any issues,” he told the Sunday Observer.

Chairman of the NCE, Alphansus Davis, said while he noted the concerns raised, the matter would be referred to the NCE’s regional director Janet Brimm, to “facilitate a thorough investigation in order to identify the most appropriate solution”.

Davis said as soon as a decision is made it would be communicated but in the meantime, the NCE recommended that the board be “allowed to carry out its work until further advised”.

But in e-mail correspondence seen by the Sunday Observer, Brimm recused herself from the matter, noting that it was sensitive and would best be investigated by the NCE.

“The letter from the concerned persons is attacking the character of the chairman, who was duly recommended by the MP and nominated by the NCE. My experience with Mr [Robertson] is that he has the best interest of the schools at heart. I think that’s where the NCE should start the investigation,” said Brimm.

“The region has no knowledge of the chairman except seeing his name on the instrument of appointment. It would be good to at least see his resume,” she added.

Brimm also noted that it has been “a difficult journey” with the other member in question.

“The region has had a very rough 11 years dealing with the culture at this school in navigating issues surrounding board members and governance. The challenges have been overwhelming. There were instances where I was verbally abused, disrespected, humiliated and was also fearful for my safety for a period,” Brimm also said.

“I don’t think it is wise for this investigation to be led by the region and humbly ask that the investigation be independent of the region,” she added.

In response, NCE member Doran Dixon recommended that the matter be left alone.

“Greetings all, it is my view that we leave the situation until there is an actual substantive issue to deal with. Let the board work or not work,” he said.

The Sunday Observer has learnt that no follow-ups have been done since Dixon’s recommendation which was sent in an e-mail on June 10.

Principal Jackson could not be reached for a comment.