A teacher from Ogres Technical School was filmed in a state of severe alcohol intoxication, lying on the ground in a public place. As reported by the Bez Tabu program (TV3), students of this educational institution are also trading banned flavored electronic cigarettes.
A source reported on a video that was posted online and caused a wide resonance. It shows a man who, apparently, is heavily intoxicated, lying on the ground in a public place. The description of the video states that this is a teacher from Ogres Technical School.
Bez Tabu spoke with students of the technical school, and all respondents confirmed that the person in the video is indeed their teacher — a 24-year-old young man. Students speak positively about his professionalism in the educational process.
All surveyed students admitted that they had seen the video. Although it appeared online recently, the incident happened last summer.
“The [teacher] hasn’t commented on anything to us. If you remind him about this video, he starts to get angry,” the students said.
Some students noted that the teacher drank during his free time and do not judge him for it. Others believe that a teacher should always behave decently, regardless of the time of day or status.
Some students claim that this is far from the only case where the educator was seen drunk in a public place:
“I have met him drunk near ‘Top’ more than once. He comes to school hungover, shaking. I heard that he often goes to ‘Ezītis’ and drinks there. And that he drank with students — I’ve heard that too.”
Students also reported that there are other materials where this teacher is captured in an inebriated state:
“This has happened before. There are photos, various videos. There’s a great video from last year where he is singing. He was partying there, drinking. If you remind him about this video, you won’t get any more fours in tests.”
The State Service for Quality Control in Education (GSKKO) is also aware of the video in which the teacher is lying drunk on the ground. Representatives of the service contacted the management of Ogres Technical School, which promised to conduct a clarifying conversation with the educator, said Maxim Platonov, the director of the GSKKO.
“Teachers are representatives of a special profession. Professional ethics norms are mandatory not only at the workplace but also outside of it, even during vacations. The goal is not to spread such videos but to inform the employer first. Upon receiving such information, the employer should request an explanation from the teacher and act based on its content,” Platonov clarified.
The management of the technical school stated that it does not support the teacher's behavior, and the situation has been discussed with him. Due to public pressure, he wanted to resign, but the management dissuaded him from this step.
“I’ll say it straight — can we not touch the guy? I stand by him. He is 24 years old. As a teacher, he is wonderful. We were all young. I do not support it; if this were at school — he never came to work drunk. He said: ‘I’m sorry, I had such a situation; I do not deny — I drank. I was walking across the tracks and fell.’ Someone filmed it. I understand that a teacher should not do this, but we were all young. I’m sorry, the teacher doesn’t have money to go on vacation to Las Vegas where no one knows him. I’m sorry, but that’s how it is. When deputies jump on tables and drink, no one says anything!” said Linda Pukite, the deputy director of Ogres Technical School for educational and methodological work.
Bez Tabu wanted to talk to the teacher himself, but the management of the technical school refused to organize an interview, stating: “Let’s not touch the young man.”
A screenshot from a WhatsApp group where students of Ogres Technical School communicate has also come into the editor's possession. In this group, students trade banned flavored electronic cigarettes. The management of the technical school stated that it was unaware of such a group but promised to discuss it during class hours. Bez Tabu provided the administration of the educational institution with information about some specific dealers of banned products. The management stated that they face expulsion.
