The Tribune

By RIEL MAJOR

Tribune Staff Reporter 

rmajor@tribunemedia.net

IRATE teachers at Carlton E Francis Primary School criticised the Ministry of Education for allowing their “cries to fall on deaf ears”.

The stand-off between teachers and the school’s principal continued yesterday for the fourth week.

Some teachers are calling for the principal’s removal and have said they will not teach until this demand is met. As a result, some of them have been told they will be transferred to another school.

Barricades have been placed outside the school’s entrance and police have been brought to the campus to ensure order.

Some teachers claim they have been barred from entering the campus.

In an interview with The Tribune, Cedricka Rolle, Bahamas Union of Teachers acting secretary general, said union members have seen Ministry of Education officials “going in and out” of the school, but no one has said anything to the teachers. 

“This is really poor, poor taste on the minister’s behalf,” Ms Rolle said. “We haven’t seen him come to the school to even scope out or assess the situation. I think that’s terrible, if we say we are here, and we are here for the kids as the leader of education he should be here. He should be here, and he should come and see what is going on. 

“He should come and see the barbaric treatment that these people are getting just to even enter the campus. I cry shame on him because he hasn’t come here yet. This is affecting the children; we are out here in front of the school gate, so the children are looking through the window seeing their teachers outside. I’m sure there is no learning going on.”

One disgruntled teacher, Sharon McKenzie, said she now feels victimised by the Ministry of Education. 

Ms McKenzie said: “The ministry seems very nonchalant about this situation; they don’t seem to care. We are not out here for anything other than the right to not be bullied or victimised on our jobs. They are not allowing us in our classrooms, and it doesn’t seem like anything has changed.

“Apparently, Ms Daxon (the school’s principal) is so valuable to the Department of Education that they implied she wasn’t here, but it seems like they are hiding her.  We haven’t seen her for three and a half weeks, but we are told she is still here. Obviously, our cries are falling on deaf ears. 

“No ministry official has yet to speak with us. They come in and out the school but not one has stop to speak to us. Obviously, they’re not concerned. This isn’t about who is right or wrong, this about what is right and what is wrong. What we are accusing Ms Daxon of is real, the bullying is real, the victimisation is real and now we are being victimised by our own ministry.” 

She added: “I don’t understand, I’m confused, and we followed protocols. We made complaints, we did our letters, we spoke to the PS, we spoke to the director of education, we spoke to the minister. We did everything that we were supposed to do, so this right here is our last resort and we are hoping that the public would support us.”

Another BUT official, Tara Hanna-Rolle, said the teachers are still demonstrating because they want this issue to be resolved. She said teachers will continue to their action until they get an answer from the Ministry of Education.  

Mrs Hanna-Rolle said: “I want to encourage my teachers to stay strong and to know that we are here. The union is here, and we are going to stand in solidarity with them. They may get weary and tired but that’s life.  

“Sometimes you just have to be able to cope with what’s going on and to believe this situation will come to an end because this too shall pass.” 

A parent who only gave her name as Ms Rolle said she’s hurt to see the teachers still protesting.  

She said: “I really was hoping at least praying that this would have some resolution by now. I was just telling some other parents what affects our teachers affects our kids. The principal isn’t the one teaching the children, it’s the teachers. 

“As parents we have to say if this principal is a problem and our teachers are distress about that, then we have to stand together. If the head is not functioning right, then the body will collapse. My son is affected because he had to get another substitute teacher because the teachers out here.”

Another irate teacher, Melody Newbold, said the alleged unfair treatment has to stop.

Ms Newbold said: “We are simply saying to the Ministry of Education to please remove her and get us back in our classrooms. This has been four weeks now and we really want this matter to be resolved. We will be out here until the matter is resolved.”

The Tribune’s attempts to get a comment from the Ministry of Education yesterday were unsuccessful.

However in mid-September, the Ministry of Education said it is “disheartened” by the fact that a number of teachers at the school have withdrawn from their duties.

“This defiant behaviour places our students at a grave disadvantage, depriving them of the quality time and education which they rightfully deserve,” the ministry said in a statement. “As such, the ministry’s paramount objective is to ensure that the education and safety of our students are not compromised. Accordingly, the public can be assured that ministry officials are working in earnest to resolve the matter.”