$3m owed to part-time teachers

SINCE 2017, several tutors in the Ministry of Education’s part-time programme for continuing education and training for adults, have not been paid. The part-time teachers are owed approximately $3 million.

Several teachers said that staff is dwindling at the 24 centres throughout the country, and if the ministry continues to turn their backs on them, they would be forced to abandon the programme.

The ministry’s website advertises the programme at the 24 secondary schools, but Newsday was told by some teachers that due to long-standing issue of non-payment of teachers’ allowances, the project could be in jeopardy.

Minister of Education Anthony Garcia, told Newsday he attended a meeting where the issue was discussed. He said, “We are at present making efforts to pay the outstanding amount. It is approximately $3 million. The project is well underway for adult learning, but efforts are being made.”

The programme is geared for repeaters of the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate and adults desirous of sitting the examination, privately. The subjects are: Mathematics, Physics, Principles of Accounts, Principles of Business, Social Studies, Human and Social Biology, English, Biology and Chemistry.

The ministry’s website advertises for teachers for the 2019-2010 programme, but the current teachers told Newsday that for last year, five teachers who are owned payments since 2017, quit.

One teacher told Newsday, “We were given voucher numbers for payments. When we enquired, we were told that the problem was release of funds. The area superintendent said that some $2 million was released, but was since 2018. I decided to quit. I haven’t been paid since January 2017.”

At Polytechnic Institute, St James, 18 teachers have not been paid. Garcia vowed to resolve the impasse, adding that it was quite a co-incidence that he decided to discuss the matter on Monday.