The Editor: Teachers play an important role in the development of any nation. I am sure you would agree with me that teachers today are not in the same bracket as those gone by where there was more love and commitment for the profession and students alike.

The ongoing saga with the industrial action by some teachers has prompted me to add my two cents. I do agree that it is the choice for any individual, including teachers not to be vaccinated or to be vaccinated. There have been arguments for and against what is referred to as Mandatory Vaccination. While, we respect the human rights of individuals to choose not to be vaccinated, we must bear in mind that it is a fundamental human right for every child to be given a chance to be educated. Therefore, no child should be denied his/her right to an education.

With this present industrial action children are made to suffer and are also denied their basic human right to be educated. The one who will suffer the most are the students, not the politicians. For we are all aware that politicians on both sides of the fence have already achieved certain level of education and should they lose their seat would go home with pensions, while the children are left behind having been denied the opportunity to advance academically. So the real persons who are affected are the children and not the politicians.

Asking the children to sacrifice their learning in support of the teachers is unfair. For while children from other islands would be moving forward our children here are forced to give up their opportunity to advance because in this case they have no choice. So is it really fair to the children?

Let’s say that teachers receive an overwhelming support in their industrial actions and the children are forced to accept the actions of the teachers. Then as a result of the overwhelming support the government is forced to change its stance on the vaccination policy, it would be good for the teachers, they would achieve their goals. But what about the students, would those teachers be willing to make up for the instructional time students would have lost? Would they be willing to bend over backwards in gratitude to ensure that the children are given the opportunity to cover the syllabus?

It is my wish that politics be taken out of this situation and that our love for children would take precedence. After all, teaching should be a noble profession void of politics.

Kennard King