A teacher who confessed an 'Edward Cullen type of love' to a pupil via Instagram DM has been banned from the profession.
Details of the Message
Rafiqul Islam, 34, sent the message while working as a teacher at Friern Barnet School in north London in 2022. In extracts from the Instagram message, Mr Islam said: “At the beginning of July last year I developed a crush on you. By the end of the school year I have fallen in love with you.” He added: “The world became meaningless to me without you, and I couldn’t stop thinking about you. It wasn’t the normal type of love, but the Edward Cullen type of love.”
He wrote that school holidays were particularly painful and that he would spend most of his day in bed thinking about her. He said: “Despite how much I love my career, I would sacrifice it all if you want to be together. I love you (Pupil A) and I really hope we can be together, as this would make me the happiest man alive.”
Tribunal Findings
A Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) tribunal found that he sent the message, called Pupil A cute, and said he loved her on at least one occasion. Mr Islam denied his actions were sexually motivated, but the panel found they were and that he was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct.
In his evidence, Mr Islam said he sent the message to find out if Pupil A felt the same way, that it was not sexual, and he was seeking “companionship”. He said he had never been in a relationship before and never pursued sex outside of marriage due to religious beliefs. He described his feelings as “infatuation” and said he had been infatuated 10 to 20 times in his life.
The panel noted that Mr Islam believed Pupil A liked him or had feelings for him, and that he failed to follow the school's safeguarding process. It concluded that his conduct could bring the teaching profession into disrepute.
Outcome
The panel said a fully informed member of the public would find it entirely unacceptable for a teacher to seek a relationship with a child. It noted the clear upset caused to Pupil A. Mr Islam said he understood it was wrong to tell a pupil he loved her, and that he was a relatively new teacher who made a poor decision.
Mr Islam has been banned indefinitely from teaching in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England.
