SVGTU, Education International link in advocacy for teachers

The St Vincent and the Grenadines Teachers Union (SVGTU) is the first in the Caribbean to partner with an international organization with the goal of improving conditions for teachers in the public education system.

On Monday, January 20, SVGTU members, along with representatives of the Caribbean Union of Teachers (CUT) and Education International met to launch the ‘Go Public! Fund Education’ at the Union’s McKies Hill headquarters.

Go Public! Fund Education was created by Educational International back in 2023 in an effort to urge governments, inter-governmental organizations and financial institutions to invest in teachers and public education.

SVGTU President, Oswald Robinson told members at the launch that the Go Public! Fund Education campaign addresses a crucial issue for public sector teachers in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), that of low teacher salaries.

“It is important to note that many of our teachers … salaries are very low. We will be getting 2.5 percent at the end of this month, but half of that has already gone in the NIS, taxes, and other impositions. Teachers continue to work under very harsh conditions, ” Robinson charged.

CUT President, Garth Anderson said the campaign is necessary as it emphasises the need for governments- both in the region and worldwide, to increase investment in public education.

He said teachers deserve “competitive salaries, manageable workloads and respect for their expertise”.

“We must not take the argument that government doesn’t have the money. We know especially around the time of an election, government can find money for whatever they want to find money for. So we must press them … to ensure we get the funds we need for quality public education,” Anderson stressed.

Project Director at Educational International, Angelo Gavrielatos disclosed that the partnerships between the two organizations was scheduled to kick off from the summer of 2024, however those plans were pushed back due to the impact of Hurricane Beryl.

“We came to the conclusion that the first place we wanted to visit in the Caribbean was St Vincent and the Grenadines … and continue our efforts to expand this programme to all countries. We were supposed to come in July but all those plans had to be abandoned because of the catastrophic damage from the hurricane, but we made it nonetheless.”

Anderson explained that the global campaign was borne out the teachers’ shortage crisis that is affecting countries across the world.

He said while it was believed to be an issue affecting developed countries, it has since spilled over.

“In Jamaica in 2023, 500 teachers left and went to work in the UK. The problem in this part of the world is amplified because it is no longer a domestic problem,” he said.

Gavrielatos said the goal is to expand the campaign throughout the Caribbean region.