FRUSTRATIONS MOUNT AMONG BVI TEACHERS; TEACHERS EXPRESS DISSATISFACTION WITH THE SYSTEM AND TREATMENT OF TEACHERS AND STUDENTS; “IT IS SHAMEFUL THAT WE HAVE LEFT OUR CHILDREN TO SUFFER UNDER TERRIBLE CONDITIONS”. NO NURSE ON CAMPUS SINCE 2017, MINISTER WHEALTEY RESPONDS

Over the past few weeks many BVI teachers have taken to social media and local radio programming expressing their frustration and dissatisfaction with the treatment of teachers and students along with serious faults within the education system. 

One teacher called a local radio program on Monday May 27th, 2021 where she expressed in detail the level of frustrations and the dyer state of the CTL Senior Campus. In noting that her statement does not reflect the views and opinions of all teachers as she “cannot represent all teachers”, she said she is however speaking on behalf of many.

The teacher stated on live radio, “I want to express some serious concerns regarding education in the VI. Well let me first say that I stand on behalf for many who don’t want to speak out because of fear of victimization, many of us worry about losing our jobs if we are seen to be critical of any government. The reality is that this has happened in the past. As a territory, we have been faced with many challenges recently but we feel that while other areas have been addressed it is shameful that we have left our children to suffer under terrible conditions. Some of the many issues that our children and educators have to deal with are not widely known and we believe, that more awareness could remedy some of these problems. I teach at the CTL campus of ESHS, everyone knows it now as CTL High. There 582 students currently enrolled there, with one female and one male bathroom for the entire student body. There has not been a nurse on campus since 2017, and we have had to deal with emergencies from time to time including seizures and respiratory illnesses that we are not trained to deal with. The air quality at CTL campus is a health hazard. Some of our students have been advised by their doctors not to enter the building and many have suffered from respiratory problems as a result. These students were walking around with mask in the building, long before it was mandated due to COVID-19. There are teachers with major health concerns that are forced to teach outside the building because of the conditions.”

She continued, “The L shaped building on Lower Estate campus was reopened with much fanfare but almost 4 years after Irma it still does not have adequate furniture to accommodate our children. Ironically the large development on Joe’s Hill visible from the Lower Estate Campus progresses at rapid pace. Some classrooms have picnic tables that make social distancing impossible and many classrooms lack educational materials necessary for proper instructions. Our students taking local and regional exams under impossible conditions, while teachers have labored in cramp work spaces with poor internet connectivity and a general lack of resources. While many have received stipends, stimulus and exist packages many teachers wait patiently for backlog increments, years overdue. Teachers where asked to commute from the HLSCC campus to Lower Estate campus during the 2016-2017 year when the extra school year was implemented with no physical space to accommodate the students. These teachers are still waiting for the transportation allowance that was promised. Currently, teachers are commuting from Lower Estate campus to CTL high with no compensation. Very few if any of our professions in other professions are asked to do this, yet we do it with little complains. It was mentioned before that the starting salaries for legislators is $3,600. These figures do not include allowances, as I would assume. Many trained experience teachers would be thrilled with that kind of salary. We are not paid that kind of salary after years of experience and training and as a society we need to redirect and rededicate ourselves to the education of our children, we need to build school buildings and foster pride among students and provide teachers with all the resources they need to in order to progress. Teachers care and students want to succeed. These issues have been a problem for years, this is not just under the sitting administration. This is not a political plough, we simple ask for change. Not 15mins of fame but impactful change. We deserve it, our students deserve it and the community deserves it.”

Additionally, in another Facebook post Mrs. Tiffany Brewely a teacher, posted the following, “I am beyond frustrated right now. I love to teach. I love to be in the classroom. Like most teachers, my time in the classroom is the best part of the job. I just sat in a meeting where we were informed of the infrastructural plans for the high school. To say that I am disappointed would be an understatement. The first thing we were told is that the consultant has been in the territory for a yr, and working on the project for 8 months. This was said (in my opinion) so that we would know that this government has been working on the school for some time now. As I sit and type this, this is the part that upset me the most. 8 months of work was represented in the sad, ill-prepared, lack of thought for the future plan. It was obvious that this did not take 8 months to a year to develop. Why feed us garbage and tell us it’s steak! We aren’t stupid! We have just been silent because we care for our students more than we care for ourselves. However, that was our mistake, because in our silence we have done more damage to our children than we could imagine. Sad.”

Education officials have been meeting with teachers, faculty and staff in recent weeks to update on infrastructure progress within the Ministry of Education.

In an invited comment Dr. Hon. Natalio Wheatley, the territory’s Deputy Premier and Minister for Education said, “These are certainly frustrating times for our students and teachers. The flood and hurricanes of 2017 and the Covid19 pandemic have created unprecedented challenges for our students, parents, teachers, and administrators. I continue to celebrate our resilience in confronting these challenges while acknowledging the urgency in resolving our present difficulties.

Last week the Recovery and Development Agency along with the Ministry of Education held consultations with the Junior and Senior teachers of Elmore Stoutt High School on the campus masterplan and designs for the new junior school. The RDA engaged the pro bono services of a consultant from Construction for Change, who has been working on this project for over 8 months. The consultations continue this week with various stakeholders.

On Friday, which was midterm break, I met with the Teacher’s Union to give updates and respond to concerns. I continue to encourage teachers to use the existing avenues to engage with the ministry. The Teachers Union is also represented on the education advisory board. I continue to believe that partnership and positive communicating will yield greater results than not engaging with the relevant stakeholders.”

Dr. Wheatley also scheduled an interview to speak on the matter in detail, today May 31st at 2:30pm LIVE on 284 Media.