ESHS teachers protest longstanding issues at school
Teachers at Elmore Stoutt High School staged a sit-in today in protest of a number of issues they say have been plaguing educators at the facility.
According to the President of the BVI Teachers Union, Sean Henry, the issues include problems with the school’s electrical and internet infrastructure, as well as ventilation issues such as mouldy air conditioning units.
Henry also said teachers have complaints about inadequate waste disposal accommodations and insufficient resourcing for teachers, including that of furniture.
He said these issues have persisted for years.
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley visited the school today and met with the disgruntled teachers to hear their concerns. He is expected to receive a letter from the educators today and he has pledged to respond by next Tuesday. He also pledged to have a formal meeting with the teachers, the education minister and the school’s administrators. He said everything will be done to address the issues expeditiously.
When asked whether he was satisfied with the Premier’s response, Henry said: “I am not really satisfied. We’ve been speaking about these issues for years… they (teachers) have gotten to the point where it’s really affecting their mental.”
BVI News will bring more on this developing story in a subsequent publication.
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Let’s not forget that the education minister gave money to her family and boyfriend even though they didn’t face any hardship under the covid grants.
Let’s not forget that the previous education minister and the current prime minister is okay with that and sees no issue with ministers stealing money from the people.
These people are not fit to fix our issues.
Our kids and our future deserve better.
We live in 2023, not 1953. This is upsetting to read. Meanwhile a multi million dollar “affordable” housing complex sits vacant. BVI needs to grow up and learn that schools need proper, long term funding. Stop the SSB from using the public purse like a credit card and start focused spending on schools and road!
The rebuilt school reopened its doors January 4th, 2023. wikipedia
There are no leaders with expertise and authority.
Money is just washed down the drain.
You get the worst of everything while wondering why it’s so expensive.
The Nations pride is just an echo from a previous generation.
School has not even started a good week and look at what started. If the teachers walked out, something is seriously wrong on the inside. What was the point in the Education Minister going to the UK to attend the conference? I hope she walked with pictures to show the deplorable conditions the BVI public schools are in. Ever since she give out money to her FAMILY AND HER BOY TOY who were not in need of assistance I started looking at her side ways, she can no longer be trusted. Don’t trust that little mousey quiet look, she is a snake in the grass.
This country is going backwards.
1. ESHS is the largest institution in the territory with the biggest staff
2. This is the engine room of the country where the future growth, and life blood of this country will flow
3. Where are the competent administrators
4. An analysis of the administrations
A) The academic principal cannot structure a proper sentence … teachers used to laugh at her memo
B) A principal who use her personal bias and emotions ro get in the way of executing her job
C) A principal who undermines her own administration with fellow teachers no integrity
D) Speak down to teachers who are much much more educated than her in their fields of studies front of students and want to tell them how to run their departments and have no knowledge of the subject areas
The PRINCIPAL:
1. Is like a jellyfish … has no backbone to stand up for herself and push back for the teachers .She is a good person at heart .
2. She needs to take over areas of discipline and show her strength . When she lets go disciplin she let go her authoritym. Poor lady
Discipline
Principal
Is getting frustrated but she tries
4. The male figure is weak and over powered by the ladies . Wants to be friends with the children and give them right over the teachers instead of disciplining them
THIS COUNTRY iS iN A Lot of TROUBLE
We needs prayers more that ever but it goes with worke
The Premier indicated at the beginning of the school year that 97% of teachers were paid increments for 2018-2019. There was the promise that the remaining teachers (whether it be those who are active, retired, resigned, etc.) would be paid no later than 15 September 2023. Were all entitled persons paid? Why is there no accountability? Who do we turn to when persons are not delivering services on time? ALL PERSONS should be paid. Why is there still outstanding payments for the said cycle? Why is it that persons within the remaining 3% are still unpaid? HR within the Ministry needs to follow-up to ensure that all persons were paid.
The Teachers were looking forward to Myron return. This one is just talk.
When Sandy Harrigan was the Principal and she empowered teachers in their areas of strength to help in every facet of the school from greeting students on mornings at the gate to set the tone for the day to visit teachers and students in their classrooms
Ayo wanted to kill her .
The worst disaster to hit the school – the school still outshined in the CXC classes top in OECS passes
Jealous and badmindness; Politics and cultural background of biases is going to be the school demise
Go back as little as six years ago and see who were the ESHS teachers who HELD the school
Together ., i am proud to say they were EXPATRIATE TEACHERS who worked hand in hand with LOCAL teachers and give of their experience and expertise.
Too much division and underlying animosity; too much lazy teachers not wanting to sacrifice anything because family and friends children are not the recipients. TEACH regradless Yes and the Ministry must also do better and have tge school needs down pact before school
Opens
Who is putting the school
In this CRISIS.
– The greedy politicians who dish out to the exposed individual who get all the grant …So teachers watching … above their pay grade . Dont blame them !! He used to say from Good to GREAT … check out a student leaving school now- ten years ago the average 7 th grade could read better than a graduate now. … Shame on the system
The security needs better training there too. They are refusing to let parents bringing in lunch for their kids.
First day of orientation there was no toilet papers in the female toilets. Are they going to blame the government for that too??
This is a disaster and an outright embarrassment on the education ministers part… Hon Stacy Mather needs to step in and take that roll I feel because it would only go downwards from here. – imagine not wanting to pay the teachers and still having them teaching in an environment that is clearly unhealthy.
On Another Note- WHEN IS THE ALTHEA SCATLIFFE PRIMARY SCHOOL GOING TO BE REBUILT?????- Hon Mather, Hon Walwyn & Hon Skelton Please Step in
They said the last design had too much glass (windows), now we got a design with not enough windows or poorly designed for proper natural ventilation since there is no AC.
WHO is the grand ARCHITECT of this design? Step forward and claim your criticism same way you claimed your payment. Let us know what happened.
“The guts come with the glory.”
I had to make the decision to send my daughter to her father’s sister in Boston to finish high school. It was not an easy thing to do but I had to do what I had to do to ensure my daughter receive a good education. The children have to suffer for the F…ed system that can do better but refuse to do better for whatever reason. THE SCHOOLS AND THE SCHOOL SYSTEM IS BROKENNNNN!!!! YOU THE ONES THAT IS SUPPOSE TO BE IN CHARGE OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM SHOULD HANG YOUR DAMN FACES IN SHAME AND GET SOME SERIOUS SIDE SHAME AND SHADE. MISSY TWIGGLE OFF TO THE UK FOR A CONFERENCE WHILE HER HOUSE OF CARDS WERE FALLING. Girllll, you should have decline that invite, now you looking bad and should be embarrassed.
You guys Premier is on the other news site asking the teachers to put their grievances in writing. The teachers don’t nor should they write any such letter. You all may not agree with me but I and I only, see this as a STALING TATIC.
I would totally agree, his back was up against the wall and he try to deflect from the questions that were being asked, mean while saying in his mind damn DeCastro, what you done got me caught up in now with the teachers on a walk out AKA protest days after school started.
And yet they keep bosting but it’s the BEST!! High School in the Territory. Children have to eat on stairs, under a hot moldy tenth or standing up some where with food in their hands. We need real leadership for these kids and not just a bunch of ladies underming each other and playing dolly house!
She is one of those quiet snakes in the grass, those are the ones you have to look out for. Something is brewing between her and those teachers.
Come VG construction going on and who is the contractor?God is good.Ifmy child get hurt the rest will be history.King Charles /Governor Rankin pls pls get rid of this non nonfunctional – Government
NOW
The BVI is a microcosm of failed Caribbean countries socially economically physically,family..BVI done gone totally.
Predictably!considering the quality of the human building blockschosen for installation in the fabric of a once small dignified populace with zero crime. It now boasts a burgeoning criminal sector with the accompanying overcrowded prison and a population of paupers,scammers,murderers,thieves,illiterates and wanton public immorality. Intact family units are rare. Foreign Police from the Uk updeislun along with the requisite attempts at policing the natives from air land and sea.
Nobody to blame but yourselves,this humiliating degrading state of affairs.
The outside is watching and shaking our heads at the way those students are being treated. The animals at the animal shelter get better treatment. Everyone that is involved in the Education ministry needs a swift kick in their behind. That … girl that is the Education Minister needs to be replaced, seems like her focus is only on her … boyfriend that has her head swinging. She actually give her boyfriend government money that was suppose to help the needy. That is just disgusting and he should be made to give back every dime of that money that he was not entitled to.She needs to hang her head in shame. I would fully agree that she is indeed a snake in the grass.
That is the disgraceful part. children standing on stairs and eating lunch under a hot moldy tent.meanwhile, she is eating her lunch in a cool AC office out of the sun and heat.You parents of that school need to ban together and protest this type of third world treatment towards your children. Please don’t allow them to dangle the carrot on a stick tactic with the sweet talk and empty promises like they did to the parents on the sister Island.
And remove these nonfunctional, slow people that is running the Educational Department. As much as you dislike Myron, he was the best Education minister. He came up with the best design concept for the Highschool. This new High School looks like a prison or shelter make over. The whole structure was designed wrong and SUB PAR.
Of all the Education Minsters with their flaws and strength Myron has taken this territory to thr highest level whether you want to believe it or not
What is the data you may asked ?
The final assessment that rate the school
is the CXC results and the graduation results
Now let us do the Maths —- As soon as he left office and the Principals and the few hard working locals and the majority of hardworking expatriates left the system , the school data for CXC results have been dropping every year
Now the Ministry is ashamed to publish the results and this is no joke.
Fewer and fewer students are signing up forCXC . They are not confident nor do they feel adequately prepared to write the exam
What does that say about the administration?
The exit exam is a water down version of a good grade 8 Exam instead of raising the bar
FACTS- The Education Minister was working in the English Department at ESHS asked her why she left ?
a) Not marking student work for months
b) Failing to submit lesson plans on time
c) Leaving class unattended and do not inform
HOD
D) Taking sick days ever so often
Who CAN THey FOOL
The system will not get better as long as any institution in the BVI tries to indigenzed the institution
Simple anthropology. . Here is a list of those good principals and teachers for the past six years and more at Elmore Stoutt
Gearmine Scatliffe
Authur Selwood
Melissa Amy
Wade Tobin
Sandy Underhill Harrigan
Donna Cline
Marsha Penn ( tries)
Garraway ( has a good heart but weak)
Teachers –
Lynette Smith
Myrna Ward
Vincent Hodge
Janice George
Kathleen Bowman- Penn
Patsy Barker
Mavis Abednego
Hubert Wong
Elisie Todman
Annie White
Beverly Donovan
Amy Gordon ( tried her best)
Marsha Frett
That was when the High School
Was school
All those teachers excellent, knowledgeable, hard working teachers
Maths
Jacinta Stoutt
Doounauth
Robinson
Wheatley
Matsha Penn
Minnie
The Department Heads were not indigenous only but a mixture… it was not part of the school
Atmosphere who come from here or who born hete .
Teachers worked together
It has to come from the leadership.
From the heart of a pass students who know plenty
Correct.Agreed
Alot may not agree but he was
They say you know what you have but don’t know what you going to get
When will the rebuild of Althea Scatliffe Primary School start?
The point was a free business class trip for her and the other 39 useless attendees!