BSTU hoping last time for last-minute transfers

The Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU) has expressed hope that the government will no longer notify school principals of their transfers at the last minute, following an apology from the Ministry of Education for mishandling the process this year.

BSTU president Mary Redman responded on Thursday to the ministry’s admission that it had made “missteps” by failing to provide adequate notice to principals before the start of the new school year. Redman said the union had long been concerned about the timing and manner of these transfers.

At a press conference on Wednesday, senior ministry officials acknowledged complaints from both principals and teachers’ unions and promised that steps would be taken to ensure better communication in the future.

While Redman acknowledged that the demands of the teaching service might occasionally necessitate transfers and last-minute decisions, she argued that the frequent occurrence of these situations was unacceptable.

“The manner and the timing often result in disaffection, dissatisfaction, and even distress to the persons involved, and it really is not the best IR [industrial relations] practice. There is really standard acceptable protocol in relation to how transfers should be done in the service,” Redman told Barbados TODAY.

But she also agreed with the ministry that the establishment of a Teaching Commission, as proposed by Prime Minister Mia Mottley, could provide a better framework for addressing such issues.

The BSTU president also raised concerns about the ongoing problem of preparing school facilities in time for the start of the new school year, suggesting that delays in the tendering process and contractor performance might be contributing factors.

“That, also, is an ongoing issue, and I don’t know if that is related to the tendering process in terms of choosing the contractor and then the contractors being able to fulfil the requirements of the job,” she said. “But really again, consistently, we are having a problem with the readiness of schools.”

Minister of Education Kay McConney on Wednesday also announced a significant shift in how repairs to the island’s schools would be managed, moving from a summer-only programme to a year-round system. The change, she said, is intended to address the growing infrastructural needs of schools while reducing disruptions during the academic year. Under the new system, repairs will be carried out throughout the school year, with work being done on weekends and after school hours to avoid disrupting lessons.

McConney assured the public that all schools would be ready for the upcoming term, which begins next Monday. (EJ)