Dear Editor,
Today I experienced one of the most humiliating and distressing moments of my academic life at the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus. During a scheduled lecture, I suffered a seizure in the middle of class.
What should have been a moment where basic human decency and urgent care were shown instead revealed a shocking lack of compassion and responsibility from the very person entrusted with our education.
While I was visibly struggling and in clear need of immediate medical attention, the lecturer chose to continue teaching as though nothing was happening.
My classmates sat in confusion and discomfort, some attempting to help while others froze out of fear, yet the individual leading the class pressed on with slides and notes as if the sight of a student in distress was not worth pausing for even a single moment.
This is not a trivial matter. A seizure is a medical emergency that can cause serious harm and even endanger life if ignored. No professional educator should ever dismiss the wellbeing of a student in such a careless manner.
Universities are supposed to be places where we are not only educated but also valued as human beings.
To have my condition disregarded in this way is a violation of trust, dignity, and the duty of care that should exist in any learning environment.
The situation also raises troubling questions about whether lecturers at UWI Five Islands receive any proper training in emergency response or basic first aid.
If an institution of higher learning cannot guarantee that its staff will react with urgency and humanity when a student collapses or suffers a seizure in front of them, then the entire system has failed. Parents, guardians, and students themselves expect better.
We expect our campus to be a safe environment where health crises are taken seriously, not brushed aside so a PowerPoint can continue uninterrupted.
I am deeply shaken by the memory of lying there on the floor, disoriented, while the lecturer simply carried on. This is not the conduct of a professional.
This is neglect.
It sends a message to all students that their health, safety, and humanity are secondary to the mechanical delivery of a syllabus.
The university leadership must take immediate action. Lecturers must be trained, protocols must be enforced, and respect for the lives of students must be restored.
What happened today is more than unacceptable. It is dangerous, and it cannot be allowed to happen again.
Respectfully,
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As past student of UWI, one thing that I have found lacking is proper student relation skills. What happened was not something that required training, but just a show of human compassion. Shame on that lecturer!
Did you report this matter to the authorities at UWI Five Islands? I hope so and that your letter is not the only action you have taken. Please keep us all informed at what remedial actions have been taken.And if you have reported this incident to the officials and no action was taken, we also need to know. These are the only ways that meaningful and positive measures can be implemented.
If your story is true, why sign respectfully. Sign your name if you are speaking the truth. We need to hear the other side to that story before any comments.
WHAT THE HELL…! …TRAINING IN EMERGENCY RESPONSE? …MEDICAL DOCTOR: OR ”’FIRST AIDER?
***
Why seek to make the ‘…LECTURER’ seem:
(a) ‘…UNCARING:
(b) …UNCOMPASSIONATE: and
(c) …INSENSITIVE?’
***
If a ‘FIRST AIDER,’ though darn dangerous to health, shall have rendered:
(i) ‘…MOUTH TO MOUTH RESUSCITATION: and
(ii) …If not ‘.MEDICINE/MEDICAL STUDIES: then
(iii) …SWITCH TO THIS DISCIPLINE: or
(iv) …PATHOLOGY.
NOW:
Should a Lecturer ‘…KICKED BUCKET,’ while ‘…LECTURING,’ a ‘…POST MORTEM’ conducted by this ‘STUDENT’ on the ‘…LECTURER’S BODY’ may very well show the ‘…CAUSE/S OF DEATH’ as ‘…SHOCKING LACK OF COMPASSION’ [Paragraph 2].
***
WHAT THE HELL…!
***
SEE THE MAYO CLINIC (Online).
***
I was a part of the calls and this is completely untrue. The teacher was not in the class when this happened, and while she was away the nurse and others were already present and attending to the student. When the teacher returned, she joined the nurse in assisting immediately. After the student left the class, the lesson continued as usual. It is unfortunate that such false things are being written, especially since this was not the student’s first time experiencing a seizure during a lesson.
To clarify, prior to the lecturer leaving the classroom, a young lady came by and peeked inside of the classroom. From a bystander’s perspective, it would have seemed like a student looking for her class. The lecturer then stepped out briefly to print a few more copies of an in-class assignment, leaving the classroom unattended.
After the lecturer left, the same young lady who had peeked in earlier entered the classroom. She approached another young lady (the one in the letter) and embraced her. From our perspective as students, it initially seemed like it could have been a confrontation about to escalate into a fight, or simply a friend offering emotional support.
A few minutes passed before one of our classmates noticed something unusual and went over to check. Shortly after, the young lady began seizing. At that moment, it became clear to us that she was experiencing a seizure. Myself and another classmate immediately left to find the nurse. On our way, we encountered the lecturer and quickly briefed her on the situation. She rushed back to the classroom while we continued to get the nurse.
By the time we returned with the nurse, students who remained in the classroom explained that the lecturer had assisted during the episode. When we re-entered, the young lady was sitting upright against the wall, appearing to be held by her mother.
The lecturer did not resume teaching but calmly explained to us that seizures are a natural occurrence, reassuring us that everything was fine. She then allowed the remaining assignment papers to be passed to the back as a way to distract and ease the nerves of students who were witnessing such an event for the first time. Moments later, the young lady began screaming, which unsettled some students and caused a few to leave the classroom.
That girl lie NF.
The whole situation sounds like a lack of knowledge about seizures and how to deal with the individual having the seizure both during and after the seizure.
Reading the comments, has me confused as hell.
Question:
What illness does this student suffer from?
As it was mentioned in a comment that this was not the first time, said student had a seizure.
2. Is the mother of the student an employee at the school?
If not, how on earth was she present so quickly?
This incident needs to be thoroughly investigated, and action needs to be taken.
One of the comments, has me thinking that it was all planned.
If thats the case, then WHY?
What was the goal here?
I was in the class when this happened. When she had the seizure the teacher was not present at first she was downstairs printing paper for us to complete an exercise. 2 girls ran to get help while students at the back were flipping her (I don’t think they knew what they were doing) one student even went to call the nurse. When the teacher returned she went to look and asked the girls mother who was present a question and I think they said they had it handled but the seizure was still occurring and the student was screaming and the teacher still continued to teach
I think the teacher could have paused the lesson until she was sure that everything was ok but she still continued I guess whatever question she asked her mother the answer she got was assurance but I still think the appropriate thing to do was to pause the lecture cuz the student was still on the floor screaming while her mom and the student nurses helped her.
So it’s not a case where it happened and the teacher ignored her completely but I personally think enough empathy was not shown.
@UWI STUDENT, in the first comment you wrote, u said the nurse assisted the student while the teacher was out.
Then in the next comment u stated that you went to get the nurse, saw the teacher, informed the teacher of the situation, to which the teacher rushed back to the classroom and assist the student, while u continue your journey to get the nurse.
As you noted, when you got back to the classroom with the nurse, the student’s mother was there with the teacher assisting the student.
So please tell us, which scenario is true?
This is such a lie, this is not how the event played out at all
To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing to clarify what happened on Monday, September 29, 2025, during the incident involving my sibling at the University of the West Indies (UWI). I was present throughout the situation and was directly involved in assisting in the care of my sibling. I received a call from them before they became unwell and went immediately to help, trying to calm them as the seizure occurred.
A letter was written by someone pretending to be my sibling, and it misrepresents what really happened. I want to make it clear that I was the one assisting in the situation, along with two students, the student nurses, and our mother, who was also present. The letter is false and does not accurately reflect the events of that day.
At that time, my main concern was keeping my sibling safe and ensuring she did not injure herself. After realizing I could not manage the situation on my own, I had to call my mother, who had received permission for someone to be on campus with my sibling while she was studying. She arrived quickly to help, and together with the two students and the student nurses, we made sure my sibling received the care she needed. While this was still happening, the teacher came into the class to check on my sibling. She asked if she was okay and if there was anything she could do to help in the situation.
I am sharing this to set the record straight about what actually happened that day. I do not want this to go to the news. My main concern has always been her safety and the care she receives.
Yuh too dyam lie. Lollllll
I want to clarify what really happened on Monday, September 29, 2025, during the incident involving my sibling at the University of the West Indies (UWI). I was there the whole time and was directly involved in helping in the situation. I received a call from my sibling before she became sick and ran in right away to try to calm her down while she was having the seizure.
A letter was written by someone pretending to be my sibling, and it misrepresents what really happened. I want to make it clear that I was the one helping in the situation, along with two students, the student nurses, and our mother, who was also present. The letter is false and does not accurately reflect the events of that day.
At that time, my main concern was keeping my sibling safe and ensuring she did not injure herself. After realizing I could not manage the situation on my own, I had to call my mother, who had received permission for someone to be on campus with my sibling while she was studying. She arrived quickly to help, and together with the two students and the student nurses, we made sure my sibling received the care she needs. While this was still happening, the teacher came into the class to check on my sibling. She asked if she was okay and if there was anything she could do to help in the situation.
I am sharing this to set the record straight about what actually happened that day. I do not want this to go to the news. My main concern has always been my sibling’s safety and the care she receives.
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