Asserting that too many teachers are living hand-to-mouth, the President of the Caribbean Union of Teachers (CUT) told a Saint Lucia event that ‘teachers need to feel appreciated in their pockets.’
“Teachers need to feel appreciated when they go to the supermarket. Teachers need to feel appreciated so that they can pay their bills and send their children to school without thinking about it,” Dr. Garth Anderson declared.
The CUT President addressed Saint Lucia educators at a teachers’ rally in Soufriere on Sunday.
He said teachers need concessions because they deserve them.
“You are more frontline than any other worker, before the pandemic, during the pandemic, and after the pandemic. We are frontline workers,” Anderson told his audience.
And he observed that the teaching profession has been under threat worldwide.
According to the CUT President, this was primarily due to a teacher shortage, poor remuneration, and a lack of respect for teachers’ professional judgment.
He also highlighted what he described as unjust government policies that undermine the teaching profession and lack of resources for teachers to carry out their duties effectively.
In addition, Anderson pointed to high-stress levels, burnout, budget cuts, and students’ anti-social behaviour.
“COVID-19 has only served to exacerbate these issues,” he noted.
Nevertheless, he observed that during these unprecedented times, teachers reinvented themselves and gave their best despite the circumstances.
In this regard, he stated that teachers need more than lip service.
Ok then! There you have it folks. Money is what makes these bosses happy and the teachers should be following that path also. Notice he said nothing about training for teachers, just throw money at them! If the teacher goes to a class with only their pay day on his/her mind how would that teacher be more proactive while teaching a subject?
I fail to understand how teachers are more frontline than any other worker especially during the pandemic.
Correction. Teachers are not Frontline workers. They were home during the pandemic. Most of them were offline. Also, they were protesting against face to face classes. Inaddition, they were sending every child home with the flu. Furthermore, the majority of them had to be reoriented to the school physical plant and they had no memory of some students students because they were lost. Thank you and remember teachers are not front line worker.
3.5 months vacation. 7 hour work days. Job for life. Salary for life. Not accountable when schools underperform. How much more appreciation they need?
But what mate talking about!
After all – The juvenile Labour Party MP’s dress up in school uniforms to ‘honour’ teachers! You do not need money just a pappyshow by the Labour Party who cannot manage so do some maje to keep your mind off what is important.
Our people better realize we are in SERIOUS UNREPENTANT times. Things tough and getting worst. We should be preparing for a decline in standards of living because of the Ukraine issue, escalating transportation and freight costs,
China’s decelerating economy, possible conflict with Taiwan, increased fuel costs and possible serious damage to tourism.
We have children running the country and not one iota of common sense as to how we work our way out of the quagmire.
Wake up Lucians and smell the coffee or at least see the price of coffee go up!
Is that the reason why the administration of the Department of Nursing at SALCC is so insensitive towards students. The administration focus of that department is only about money and not students. Tge
@Asking…and taking the same money we get to buy things for the same students who do not have and for some of the same parents who save up for nails hair and carnival…so whats your point again???
well @there it is…only if your government gives a fair pay….talk for u all own…let people talk for theirs…too many people are underpaid in this country…..not only teachers many workers are living hand to mouth…..this is crazy
yes uhh, same way bus drivers want to be called front line workers as well when they are not
Don’t worry,our islands TOP ECONOMIST said he’ll implement a livable wage…Soon we’ll be all free to buy whatever we please & the streets might even be made out of gold…The Circus continues in 🇱🇨