Teachers Union On Govt, Leadership & More
The Bermuda Union of Teachers [BUT] has issued a statement in response to the Ministry of Education’s recent communications.
A spokesperson said, “The Bermuda Union of Teachers is compelled to speak out following a deeply troubling sequence of communications by the Ministry of Education over the past 24 hours. These recent revelations have caused widespread confusion, anxiety, and frustration among principals, teachers, parents, and students.
“School leaders were summoned to a meeting with less than 24 hours’ notice, and presented with a plan described as being ‘co-signed’ by principals, when – in fact – it only reflected the views of a small subset of BPSS principals. On the same day, teachers and parents were called into emergency meetings where this proposal was presented – not as a discussion point, but as the confirmed new direction for education reform. Schools have been left to manage the fallout of these communications without clarity, documentation, or proper engagement after neither teachers nor their Union were properly consulted before these announcements.
“This approach has created massively unnecessary disruption across the system.”
Jonathan Tankard, President of the Bermuda Union of Teachers [BUT] states: “What we have seen over the past 24 hours is not leadership through clarity, it is confusion caused by rushed decisions and poor communication. Teachers and principals were placed in impossible positions, and parents were left anxious because information was shared without honesty or proper process.”
The spokesperson said, “Following the Ministry’s subsequent public statement suggesting that the record needed to be ‘set straight,’ the Union is concerned that the Ministry’s public narrative does not align with what teachers have reported directly to the Union, nor with what parents have publicly shared about how meetings unfolded.
The BUT General Secretary, Dante Cooper adds: “If the Ministry’s public statements are accurate, then it should be quite straightforward to clearly explain what the plan actually is. To date, that has not happened. Instead, we’ve seen fragmented messaging that presents proposals as decisions and consultation as an afterthought.”
The spokesperson said, “For nearly a decade, education reform, while challenging, has been grounded in engagement, co-design, and stakeholder feedback. Teachers and parents have continued to engage with the burden of reform because they were part of the process and because decisions, even when difficult, were communicated through established consultative structures.
“That standard has not been met this week.”
The President further states: “Teachers did not create this mess. Parents did not create this mess. Students certainly did not create this mess. It is the result of a failure to consult meaningfully and to communicate responsibly.”
The spokesperson said, “Meaningful consultation is not optional. It is required under established policy, procedure, and the Collective Bargaining Agreement. It is also essential to maintaining trust in a public education system already under significant strain.”
The General Secretary continues: “Students, parents, and teachers cannot take another round of uncertainty driven by unclear leadership. If there is a plan, then lay it out clearly. If there is not, then stop presenting proposals as settled decisions. The people of Bermuda and its children deserve better.”
The spokesperson said, “The Union is calling on the Ministry of Education and the Bermuda Government to immediately pause further announcements, correct the record where necessary, and engage in genuine, structured consultation with teachers, parents, and school communities before any further steps are taken.
“Public education deserves clarity; it deserves honesty; and it deserves leadership that brings stability – not confusion.”
How odd. A union accurately describing the way the PLP Government rules Bermuda