Teachers will be back to work as originally scheduled
By Anesta Henry
Teachers will not be required to return to work earlier after all.
Education authorities have responded to the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) call to scrap plans to call out educators on September 4, a week earlier than scheduled, for training related to pending educational reform.
Chief Education Officer Dr Ramona Archer-Bradshaw, in a circular dated August 27, 2023, said while the official start of the Michaelmas Term for students remains Monday, September 18, 2023, principals and teachers of public schools will be required to engage in planning on Monday, September 11 and Tuesday, September 12, 2023.
“All principals and teachers of public and private schools are required to participate in consultations and professional development sessions during the period 13-15 September 2023.
“On the days that teachers are not required to attend consultations and professional development sessions, it is expected that they will continue to be engaged in planning activities at their respective schools. Details regarding the allocation of schools for the consultations and professional development sessions will be communicated at a later date,” the circular read.
Last week, BUT President Rudy Lovell told Barbados TODAY that teachers voted against a proposal that teachers resume work on September 4 instead of September 11 which was the scheduled start of their planning ahead of students’ return to the classroom.
He said after a consultation with the Chief Education Officer on the morning of August 23, 2023, it was revealed that the Ministry of Education was seeking to reduce the summer vacation period for teachers by one week to facilitate meetings on education transformation.
While not having any written correspondence from the ministry, the executive committee of the BUT met later that evening and voted unanimously against the proposal.
Lovell added that an emergency meeting was convened by ministry officials that night to discuss the proposal with teachers’ unions and education stakeholders.
He said at that meeting, the BUT indicated its opposition to the proposal and recommended that instead of insisting that teachers return one week ahead of the time, three days of the original planning week, including September 11, 12 and 13 could be used by schools to plan.
He said the union also suggested that September 14, 15 and 18 be used by the ministry for the education transformation training.
“The union is mindful that teachers already have scheduled plans for the summer vacation period and it would be unjust to ask them to make alternative changes at this late stage,” Lovell said.
Meanwhile, in the circular, Dr Bradshaw reminded teachers that according to the Education Regulations (1982), Cap 41, Paragraph 31 (1), “the school year for public educational institutions and assisted private schools (a) commences on 1st September of each year and ends on 31st August of the succeeding year”.
“Additionally, as public officers, you are reminded that the grant of vacation leave is subject to the exigencies of the Public Service and shall be in accordance with Chapter V as set out in the General Orders (1997),” it added.
However, Lovell said the BUT was still looking for evidence that states teachers must report to work on September 1.
In fact, the union boss pointed out that the Education Regulations (32) 1 (c) also state that the “Minister must specify in writing the time or the periods within which school holidays are to be allowed in each school year and the duration of the school holidays”.
“It is assumed that this was done to allow for the vacation period to be set and for teachers to plan their business accordingly,” Lovell maintained.
