The students of Arima Central Secondary School are suffering from a shortage of teachers for many important examinable subjects. There are no teachers for English Language, English Literature, Social Studies, Chemistry and other subject areas. Many classes may have one to three sessions per day out of a five-subject period timetable. A six-day timetable is used at this school.
A particular Form Two class as well as other classes has "lost" their Social Studies teacher because of Government and ministry bureaucracy. Parents were informed that no replacement would be sent for this teacher. So the students of this class as well as other classes will have to do without one for a few months. Is this fair to these students who are hard-working?
Nothing concrete has been put in place for these students. They are supervised by another staff member who would give them assignments from their Social Studies textbook. Is this teaching? Two English teachers have since retired and they have not been replaced.
Can the Prime Minister, the Minister of Education and the Teaching Service Commission tell parents why appointing teachers to fill these vacancies is taking so long? This situation has been existing since the first term (September 2014) and to date the students still have no teachers for these subjects.I do hope that the Prime Minister, the Minister of Education and the Teaching Service Commission are aware that they are contributing to the indiscipline which is prevalent in our schools.
I understand that there is a waiting list of prospective teachers who have already been interviewed and assessed and all they need are their instruments of appointment from the Teaching Service Commission and the Ministry of Education. Can the Prime Minister, the Minister of Education and the Teaching Service Commission tell the parents the reason or reasons for this undue delay in replacing the teachers who are no longer there?
These students, the administration and the teaching staff are frustrated with these developments and the Government and its departments are holding the nation's children to ransom. It's time to get rid of this bureaucratic red tape and appoint teachers to teach these students because they are the future human resource of T&T.
Parents are doing their best to support their children, the staff and administration to manage this institution as effectively as they possibly can. Where is the support from the powers that be?It is time the Prime Minister, the Minister of Education and the Teaching Service Commission look into this matter and appoint staff to this school and many other schools that are experiencing the same situation.
Maura Cooseelal
Concerned parent