Local educators urged to up their game

Teachers who do not take their jobs seriously have been told that they can no longer stand on the sidelines and watch as the children are swept away by, “the raging distractions that limit or hinder their learning”.

The nation’s educators have also been asked to acknowledge that they are the ones who create the conditions for success or failure in schools in the state.

Those comments, which elicited grumbles from some teachers, were spoken on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, by Chief Education Officer (CEO) Kay Martin-Jack who was delivering remarks at a workshop which was being held at Hotel Alexandrina in Prospect.

The two-day workshop, dubbed, “OECS Programme for Educational Advancement and Relevant Learning (PEARL) Leadership Workshop” was organized by the Ministry of Education and aimed at schooling teachers on the new Digital OECS Harmonised Primary Curriculum (D-OHPC), while discussing Continuous School and System Improvement (CSSI).

“…don’t grumble, you have to take responsibility. We all have to take responsibility. I have to take responsibility for you; but it begins with you. You are the bridge between national education policy and classroom practice and I would like for you, as chief education officer, to embrace it…”, Martin-Jack told the gathering, that comprised several headteachers and senior educators attached to some of the nation’s primary schools.

The CEO said that teachers should be the ones who ensure that students cross the education bridge safely, and this can be aided by effective leadership and inspiring colleagues to embrace change even when it’s uncomfortable.

“We know the little personality thing come in, but in the final analysis, you have a responsibility. Sometimes we just have to do what is required. We have to make some decisions at times that are not popular. But sometimes it’s a means to an end, because in the final analysis, the children matter,” Martin-Jack told the educators.

“…my body’s shivering here, because when I think of some of the things happening there… change is never easy, but when we work at it, it can be most empowering.”

She encouraged educators to network and urged those in the role as leaders to empower their teams.

“They have to be innovative and learner-centred. We have so many trained persons within the system now in all aspects of education. It goes beyond talking the talk…,” Martin-Jack noted.