Teachers providing ‘cheap labour for quality work’ – SVGTU President

by Eldonte Samuel

President of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Teachers Union (SVGTU), Oswald Robinson, has expressed grave concern over the current state of the teaching system in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), pointing to a range of issues impacting teachers in the education system.

In a SEARCHLIGHT interview, Robinson cited issues with appointments and promotions, teacher-level disparities, and the need for increased transparency from the Ministry of Education (MOE).

A major point of dissatisfaction is the practice of appointing university graduates to entry-level positions, such as Teacher One or Teacher Two, due to a ‘lack of space’.
Robinson criticised this as underpaying qualified teachers for their expertise.

“It is cheap labour for quality work. If you’re doing proper projection in terms of staffing, you know how many teachers are retiring, you know already how many teachers died in the system, and you must know the spaces that are available.”
He also pointed to stagnation of level one teachers, who hold A-level qualifications, often remaining in their positions for years without promotion. He gave an example of a teacher who has worked at level one for seven years without advancement.

The teacher hierarchy, which Robinson outlined is: Teacher One is for entry-level, usually untrained teachers with secondary school passes; Teacher Two for those with A-level qualifications; Teacher Three for Qualified Assistant Teachers who have completed teacher training programmes; Teacher Four/Senior Qualified Assistant Teacher with over 10 years of service; Teacher Five for university graduates and principals; and Senior Graduates, a role that currently does not exist in SVG, but should apply to graduates with extensive experience.

Robinson said since 2022, graduate teacher appointments have been categorised into three groups: fully appointed graduates; those receiving a ‘graduate allowance’ without formal appointment; and those who remain ‘un-appointed’.
Robinson noted that the graduate allowance is insufficient to compensate for the lower-than-standard salary for graduate teachers, reiterating that it is “cheap labour for quality work”.

Fully appointed graduates receive full benefits and salary, which impact their pension and gratuity calculations. However, the union head said those appointed late miss out on accumulating financial benefits,thus negatively impacting their retirement security.

Additionally, there have been instances where newer graduates are placed in high positions, bypassing more experienced colleagues.

Robinson also alleged political bias and favouritism in teacher appointments, claiming that the ministry sometimes creates space by reassigning teachers using a “throughout the system” approach rather than specific school placements. This practice, he said, complicates matters for teachers who live far from their appointed schools, such as those from the Central Leeward constituency assigned to schools in Kingstown, or those in the Grenadines who must travel or make accommodation on the mainland.

Furthermore, Robinson was displeased that teachers do not receive a stipend while in training as is the case with nurses and the police. This, he said, imposes a financial burden on the teachers as they have to cover the cost for teaching aids, transportation, and other expenses during their teaching practice placements.

Robinson said multiple letters have been sent to the Ministry of Education and the Public Service Commission, outlining the cases of ‘unappointed’ teachers, but these issues remain unresolved, some dating back years. Chief Education Officer, Kay Martin-Jack told SEARCHLIGHT that, not having heard first hand the claims that Robinson was making, she was not able to offer a comment.