Funds likely in this week’s budget for education fixes — Dr Wheatley

Funds are likely forthcoming for much-needed fixes for the education sector when the government presents its much-anticipated budget later this week. 

Education Minister and Deputy Premier, Dr Natalio Wheatley, gave that indication last week during a debate in the House of Assembly (HOA).

The minister, who recently made a desperate plea for $2 million for the maintenance of schools, did not give an indication of how much money will be on the table, but suggested he will ask for more monies for his ministry at a later time.

“I made a cry and I made a plea for the money to do what I have to do and by God’s grace and mercies, I’ve already seen fruit of that cry,“ Dr Wheatley said. 

The minister said every time he’s gone to Premier and Finance Minister, Andrew Fahie with a challenge, the Premier has sought to address it. 

“I believe he’s going to make sure at the very beginning of the next budget cycle that we’ll have what we need so that we can be on top of it,“ the Deputy Premier added.

I was on the defensive

The minister is seeking additional monies for his portfolio because of widespread protests from teachers recently.

Dr Wheatley shared with the HOA that after first hearing about the protests, he became defensive.

“Why are you behaving this particular way and you weren’t doing it before when all of these things were happening or not happening?” Dr Wheatley said about his reaction to the protests initially.

However, the minister admitted he had the wrong reaction to the issue and conceded that a different approach should’ve been taken. He said teachers spoke to him loudly and clearly, and he later got the message.

Educators, he said, showed him that their situation was an emergency and warranted much more attention than it was being given previously.