Faces of Montreal | A dynamo named Premila

Behind her title, which could not be more neutral — school-family liaison officer — hides a real dynamo who takes the integration of newcomers to heart. One only has to watch Premila Ramessur Jaswantee in action for an hour to see how active and energetic she is.

Josee Lapointe
The Press

It’s registration day for francization courses that morning at the Bois-Franc-Aquarelle school, in the borough of Saint-Laurent. It is the representatives of the Adult General Education Department who welcome the parents, but Premila is not very far away: most of the time, it is she who has asked them, and she likes to see them again and make sure that everything’s OK.

“When we arrive, we see that the work is done,” says Martine Veillette, who is there for the Marguerite-Bourgeoys school service center.

Premila’s role is somewhat to “attract” parents into the school’s fold while meeting their needs… and even more. A dad shows up on this cold autumn morning wearing only sandals? She directs him to resources for getting warm clothes. A family has government documents to complete? She brings them to her office and helps them with the paperwork.

To a Spanish-speaking mother recently arrived in Montreal, who speaks neither French nor English, Premila offers to come and volunteer at the school. The woman’s face lights up, and she falls into his arms before leaving.

Multitasking

“Premila’s work is hard to describe because it’s so invisible,” says school principal Tracy Wilson.

The success of the children often depends on the integration of the parents, and the latter, despite all their good will, do not know all the resources at their disposal. The liaison officer puts them in contact with the various community organizations in the borough, where she has access everywhere.

“She has created a network, no need for Facebook! exclaims the director of Bois-Franc-Aquarelle.

One of Premila’s great challenges is precisely to bring together the community and school environments, whose ways of operating are very different. “We are walking on eggshells. But in reality, the two must work together, ”she explains, a diplomat.

Nothing satisfies Premila more than directing a family to the right service. “It’s a win for everyone: parents, organizations, schools. That’s how I can get my hands dirty. »

Premila Ramessur Jaswantee is obviously solution-oriented. “All the time,” she confirms. Her secret: adapting to each person she meets to meet exactly what she needs. “If you don’t know where she comes from, what her background is, you can’t know how to intervene. »

On a mission

Originally from Mauritius, Premila moved to Montreal in her early adulthood and soon became involved as a volunteer at her children’s school. “I even ran for school elections as an independent! In 1998, thanks to a work-study program, she became a “consultation officer” in the Parc-Extension district. “It was essentially the same job, but in Parc-Ex, everything was organized around a single school. »

Since 2008, she has worked in several schools in the much larger borough of Saint-Laurent. At 59, Premila has no plans to retire. When you ask the woman who lives in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood what she likes about Montreal, the answer comes out: “diversity”.

“Every person who comes before me has potential. Yesterday, there was a woman who arrived from Cameroon, she spoke French very well, but she didn’t know how to dress for the winter. We talked, we laughed, I guided her to organizations, she signed up for apple picking… and she left with a smile. »