Teachers Union On Staffing, Concerns & More
“The narrative surrounding school reform in Bermuda has long-since reached a boiling point, and now the strain being heavily imposed upon teachers in the Bermuda Public School System [BPSS] is manifestly unbearable, and entirely unacceptable,” the Bermuda Union of Teachers General Secretary Dante Cooper said.
Mr Cooper said, “Recent actions have exposed the Department of Education’s failure to properly prepare for teacher absences by keeping a robust, or even adequate, substitute Teacher list. This is an ongoing concern, and this Union has articulated this concern several times in recent months. Blaming Teachers for a systemic failure is untenable, and we will not let it stand.
“Furthermore, issues of safety, scheduling, contracts, staffing, and air-quality continue to plague schools, and school staffs, throughout Bermuda, and, for us, enough is enough. All of these systemic failures by the Department of Education [DoE] conspire to make Teachers ill daily – and the powers that be are fully aware of these concerns. They have, in fact, been aware of them for far too long.
“The Ministry of Education [MoE] and the DoE should be ashamed for letting this situation deteriorate to these depths. These are not new issues. The BUT has filed numerous grievances about these exact issues – going back several years now – yet nothing has changed. It is, in fact, worse now.
“The heavily championed ‘Signature School’ program has yet to be fully staffed. There are classes on student schedules that have remained teacher-less since they were created. At the CedarBridge Academy, these classes are covered by in-house staff, as there is no one to teach technical skills classes available. So, technical and vocational course – the ‘Signature’ courses – are not being taught. The public spin is very pretty – the ideas are grand; but, at the moment, the execution is leaving a considerable amount to be desired.
“This Union finds the inaction of the MoE and DoE to be abusive, and exceedingly disingenuous – why are we not hiring teachers for the brilliantly conceived ‘Signature’ programs? Why are we stretching our most valuable assets [our highly qualified and competent Teachers] to their limits just to window dress a program that is clearly not ready to be launched yet?
“In recent months, staffing and safety concerns at Dame Marjorie Bean Hope Academy, Dalton E. Tucker, and Harrington Sound Primary highlight the need for immediate attention to ensure a high quality educational environment for students and staff.
“Meanwhile, press statements from the Ministry are defensive and deflective at best, and downright invidious and dismissive at worst,” he added.
“The BUT believes in the BPSS – but things must be done right. If a course is to be offered in the ‘Signature’ program, it must have a Teacher. If a legitimate safety concern is brought to the attention of the powers that be, it must be corrected. If a Teacher, or other member of staff, is working without a contract, and not being compensated fairly, it must be rectified. These are not unreasonable expectations!
“We urge the Ministry and Department of Education to work collaboratively with us to ensure that our teachers and students receive the support needed to maintain a high-quality educational environment. We remain steadfast and committed to supporting our teachers and advocating for changes that will enhance teaching and learning in the Bermuda Public School System.”
