SVGTU calls for proper management of resources within education sector

A call has been made by the St Vincent and the Grenadines Teachers’ Union (SVGTU) for the proper management of resources within the education sector.

The union made the call on Tuesday, during a press conference at the SVGTU’s headquarters at McKie’s Hill.

“I think that so many of our schools are under resourced and we’re asking teachers to do so much with so little. I know that they’re having announcements about the percentage of the budget that goes into education, but I think there is a need to manage how resources are being deployed,” SVGTU general secretary Paulette Williams stated during remarks.

Williams added that the SVGTU and the Canadian Federation of Teachers are presently holding their annual workshop at one of the top secondary schools in the state; however, the conditions there are appalling.

“And I was so surprised; we’re doing the IT component and there’s just so much that is lacking and I’m saying if we want to produce the amount of quality students that we want to see at the end of the process, teachers have to have the resources and the resources have to be better managed and better deployed than they are currently,” she added.

Williams also said the schools’ book loan scheme is a perennial problem.

“Something has to be done about that… There seems to be a disconnect between what the state is willing to pay for and what the teachers require the students to have and that just perhaps needs to be revamped.”

Also commenting on the matter, SVGTU industrial relations officer Otto Sam said many teachers are working under deplorable conditions on both the mainland and in the Grenadines.

Sam further stated that teachers’ working conditions have been discussed with both the Ministry of Education and the Prime Minister and although efforts are being made, they are not sufficient.

Sam, a veteran teacher, called on the Government to ensure that all learning institutions are safe for both teachers and students and that schools are fixed in a timely manner.

“So that when schools reopen September, we do not have to return to this vexing issue of ensuring that the conditions of our schools are within the proper framework of teaching and learning,” he urged.(AS)