Teachers feel threatened and underpaid — Education Minister
Education Minister Sharie de Castro said teachers are leaving the profession because they are frustrated.
While appearing on the Talking Points radio show yesterday, de Castro said structural changes need to be implemented to address the issue. She spoke on the issue of teacher retention and pointed out that there are multiple reasons why teachers are leaving the profession.
The number-one challenge in addressing teacher retention pertained to increasing the salary of educators, which the minister stated was currently under review.
“I’m really hoping and praying the teachers are at the front of the line because they have expressed their concern in that regard,” de Castro said.
The Education Minister also said there is a need for changes in the work environment and for curriculum changes. “What we have to figure out is, ‘how do we create an environment that is conducive to both learning and teaching’, because a lot of the reasons teachers are leaving is because they are fed up with the system,” she said.
Discipline a major issue
But one of the larger issues facing teachers, was that of discipline and the minister suggested it is an issue which largely exists within the secondary schools.
de Castro said the current discipline policy has recently been revised and remains under consultation with stakeholders. She further noted that revising this policy speaks to the reality of having to put steps in place to stem violence in schools.
According to the minister, there are certain behaviours expected of students if they want to continue in the learning space.
“What we don’t want is for our teachers or students to feel threatened in school and that has been a situation that has arisen over the past few years and so I believe holistically the approach has to be, teachers must feel safe going to school, students must feel safe,” de Castro said.
In the meantime, de Castro suggested that there are systematic changes that need to take place and said her position has been that this change needs to take place on the policy and legislative level. de Castro explained that her ministry has had multiple critical meetings with key stakeholders in order to effect this much needed change.
To that end, she said education professionals recently engaged in positive behavioural management professional development sessions with teachers. “We want to change the ethos and the environment, and to do that we have to change our approach,” the Education Minister, said.
“If we don’t start changing the way we view education in our territory, we won’t have many persons becoming teachers because when you look at what you’re walking into, you really question whether … I could find something else to do,” she added. “And if we’ve reached to that point, then we really need to question ourselves in terms of the core values and the type of community that we are building.”
Copyright 2024 BVI News, Media Expressions Limited. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.
…I do not have one solid idea, muchless a hint of a solution. The Lord bless us all.
So, if I am reading between the lines no road map is yet to be presented as to how you solve this issue, and when Government intends to fix it.
The priorities are just so messed up within successive Governments it is frightening!
Why is it that the Minister cannot state what she plans and open it up to the Public? We want good teachers, we want the school environment to be safe, we want our children well educated to take on future challenges.
Why is this not being dealt with more urgently?
You at the helm to make all the changes to improve the system. Go ahead and start blabbing. You left the system for the same reasons. Now get to work.
Teachers and the rest of the civil service lets not pretend!!!
Young lady with all due respect, you are a complete waste of time. Perhaps you should return to teaching or something else but representing this Territory is not it!
Dear, oh dear. You’re the Minister of Education. Fix it. That’s what you’re there for.
Life is REAL and decisions have consequences! The voting public elected a little girl who writes nice poems to run this Territory and now everyone is acting shocked and outraged that she cannot handle the job. What did she accomplish prior to running for office? NOTHING! We get the Government we deserve and guess what? After all this crying and complaining we will still elect a group of know-nothing people who are only interested in racking up frequent flyer miles on the Government breast and the prestige of being an elected official, nothing else!
In the meantime please give us our due increments , in January it is going to be 5 years . We need that money already earned !!!
In agreement with every above mentioned comments. Unfortunately, She is not ready for the Job. She done had two portfolios taken away and still lost in limbo.
threatened by whom?
Pay the blinking teachers properly.
INCREMENTS, INCREMENTS, INCREMENTS PLEASE!!!!
Each of you voted to give yourself hefty pay raises, and even after not in elected office, all of you will still be benefitting mightly due to the selfish legislation all of you voted for.
But, us, the people, the vote and job giver, we are sucking salt.
We have ;ready worked for that money, but giving it to us is not you all priority, obviously. That is no way to treat people who have put you all in office to habdle heir interest.
Ne3xt election, with one exception, no increments, no vote!!!
@@Pandora
I agree with your general thoughts minus the name calling.
However you are so right. I was thinking just last night and asking myself out loud: How is it that our country could be in this terrible state after all the money that flows thru this place? So much is not going right from our infrastructure, economy, education and just about everything else. The hope I use to have for this country has vanished.
My answers were two:
1. As you pointed out, the people who are being elected. I look back at many of these people who were elected in the past and see unfortunately many unqualified to do their elected jobs.
When it comes to ministerial positions, many don’t even have a background in the area they are overseeing.
Worst of all, they appear visionless. No plan for the country’s future. Just floating along in the river. They just say whatever they think they need to say to get elected, and after election, they turn out to be a huge nothing burger. Just sad.
2. The electorate. You have about 13K people deciding much of the faith of the the country, and its very personal for many to the point people are voted in or out based on how people feel rather than their backgrounds and qualifications.
This has been going on for some time now, and sadly I personally don’t see this changing anytime soon. It breaks my heart to say this as I love my country but I don’t like the path that we are on.
I personally don’t have a positive outlook for the BVI future at the moment with recent past and current government crew. They collectively do not inspire hope.
Nevertheless, I recognize the BVI is not alone in its struggle, and it’s worth fighting for. This country need some visionary leaders with a master plan to move it forward. Not these set of characters who have been doing nothing but window dressing.
It is a consorted effort to make de castro look bad like she is doing nothing. Were we listening to the same show because she explained what is being done to move education forward in the BVI. This news site is anti de castro but you all continue with this foolery in the BVI and see how far it is going to get us. What God doesn’t want the angels CANNOT have.
This Minister is doing good. Dont jump on her without cause. She is actually trying to improve the system although she needs to get the Chief Education Officer out because the backwards in achools come from a CEO who has no forwars vision and only understands the old way of school.
The entire school system is 30 plus yeara old in its thinking. Plus bow many of the teachers went overaeas to Uni or college before teaching here? We need to get the teachers to see schools elsewhere.
If you have ideas please go ahead and share.
You try leave the CEO.. cause anytime the deputy CEO gets in charge..all hell broke loose only then teachers will leave she is a real slave master ask those teachers who were under her up bell vue.. she means well put she needs to relax and know that teachers have a life apart from their employment.
Please tell us ONE SINGLE THING OF MERIT besides a few poem contests that Hon. Sharie deCastro has done since being elected in 2019. NAME ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
have they ever checked to see all those who are assistant, acting this assistant that. i think they have too much teachers that’s why and lots are not doing much. what are the guidance councilors doing? if they were doing their jobs it wont have so many fights in school or I should say no fight among school kids. you have too many persons with principal behind their name. i.e. acting, assistant etc.
The high price of a bag of cement has placed a high price on labour has placed a high price on renting an apartment has placed a high burden on people. Cap prices and keep the salary and see what happens. There is no price control system in the bvi. A tray of 12 eggs for 5.99 am I to stop eating egg.
Are what we need, what our children deserve.
Not real lies. They afraid? They should
Be. They always warring with each other.
Stop blaming parents. Because look within.
The worst and I mean worst behaved children
Have teacher and preacher parents.
So why always calling out parents?
Maybe the Ministry needs to hear the
Parents side. Or maybe we the parents
Need to go to social media and tell our side.
Too much expatriate are teaching and fully qualified they come here because of links they need to go back to their country