The Antigua & Barbuda Union of Teachers (A&BUT) has challenged the plan by the local education authorities, to lengthen the operation hours for public schools.
Speaking on OBSERVER AM, yesterday, Vernest Mack, president of the union said, ?It has no significant benefits for the teachers or for the system on a whole. What the Ministry of Education should be doing is to enhance what is in place. Provide training, additional training and online training for teachers and principals, so that they can inspire their teachers.?
Mack added that there were things that needed to be looked into before [they] looked into- things [considered] as non-issues such as the lengthening of the school day.
The teachers union head said, ?Structures need to be put in place such as substitute teachers which [are] critical at this particular time. A number of teachers raised concerns that they are presently without furniture and they have floating classes in the secondary school, classes that have no room, stationary that they can be in everyday, no furniture to sit on,? Mack said.
?I was shocked to hear that while we were having CXC in this country, that children were sitting on stools. Stools are also their tables during CXC and that was a shocker for me and I am sure it was for other officers for they have never heard of that,? she added.
When asked about the union executive?s views on the benefits of lengthening the school day for teachers, Mack said, ?What will an extension of the school day do for the teachers? There is no plan, no structure. As a matter of fact, there is no adequate rationale. Even the Ministry of Education has researched that there are no significant benefits to the system to extend the school hours,? Mack added.
Mack said that the Ministry of Education has been kept abreast of the challenges being encountered concerning the need for substitutes teachers.
Mack added, ?It?s something that we keep bringing up and it is something that keeps getting tabled and we are tired.?
Teachers? opinion on universal secondary, as well as the secretariat?s way forward was among other issues discussed at the A&BUT?s Annual General Meeting.
i do argee
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I do agree with Ms Mack.The problem is not with the length of school time,but having the necessary tools and structure, to provide a better learing enviroment. It is bad enough kids has to be working on stools.Are they suggesting they spend longer hours on the same old stools?Remember folks it is not the quantity of the endevors,but the quality of the results.
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Why anytime there is a issue with schools teachers get all the blame. why when teachers ask more of anything and willing to stand up for it the dont care about the students. the students and their parents dont care about teachers so y should we care about them.
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I get the impression that ministry officials think that teachers are baby sitters. I do recall that the first time I heard about extending the school day, it was because some persons thought that too many children were unsupervised between 1:30pm and when the parents got home.
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For real are you for real? Do you really believe that teacher and principals haven’t requested furniture and other resources that the school needs? Extending the school day just for the sake of extending it does not achieve anything. If a good plan can be put forward then and only then can it or should it be considered.
Please let people with experience and expertise comment on things that they know about.
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I guess Ms. Mack is looking into the interest of the Teachers and not neccesarily looking at the benefits to the students/ the county. She is agressive and seems satisfied with being on parr and not excelling above other Caribbean islands if the opportunity presents itself. Additionally, Its an inditement on the Principal and teachers if students are compelled to sits on stools during exams because the responsibility is theirs to request and ensure that adequate furniture is not available from the Ministry/Board.
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