The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

EDUCATION Minister Glenys Hanna Martin said officials are in the process of hiring teachers as they seek to address shortages in critical areas in core subjects.

Speaking on the sidelines of the ministry’s annual public schools administrator’s conclave yesterday, the minister highlighted efforts made to hire new teachers as the opening of schools for the new year approaches.

“We’re hiring many, many teachers in this upcoming season,” Mrs Hanna Martin told reporters. “So, the hiring is well under way. We’re seeking to address shortages in critical areas in core subjects. It’s a challenge. The teacher shortage is happening globally so The Bahamas will not be excluded from that.

“We’re subjected to the same challenges as nurses, but we’re trying our utmost to actively and proactively to recruit teachers to take office in the ensuing days, weeks, and months ahead.”

Bahamas Union of Teachers president Belinda Wilson had previously told teachers to get ready to take industrial action on August 22, insisting the government has had ample time to bring closure to matters of concern for educators.

 She said a meeting will be held to get feedback from educators on the government’s financial proposal to the BUT. The union leader made the comments after she explained that the union was closer “than we’ve ever been to concluding this full industrial agreement.”

 Asked about the negotiations, the minister said she was not directly involved in the negotiations so she did not know what the specifics were.

 However, the minister added that she certainly knew the nation was very interested and concerned for young people to get back in school.

 “I’m trusting that this process will lead to a way in which we can get our children back into school on the 29 of August, 2022,” she said.

 She also noted that the commission to review the high school diploma is to begin its work next week.

 During her earlier remarks at the conclave, she explained the effects of the pandemic and trying to reach students.

 She expressed optimism for the education sector.

 “It is a privilege and an esteemed honour to be at the forefront of this noble and critical endeavour. Education is at the foundation of our progress and our prosperity and our national happiness. It does not exist in a silo or simply resident in a ministry or in a single classroom or as a discrete exercise. It is the central core of our nation’s hopes and dreams and aspirations and our collective identity. I is key to our national development. So, you see why it is so important that we do this right,” she said

 “There is no place or space for mediocrity, idleness, or personal conflicts. At no stage of the so-called hierarchy, and that includes the teachers, should we be viewed as warring factions at odds with various stakeholder groups in this critical enterprise.

 “The situation is too urgent, too vital, and too important for that. You as leader in a not so easy endeavour have what I know is not so easy a task, but you are nevertheless and especially called upon to be equipped and prepared to be responsive, to be ahead of the game if I may use that terminology for such a serious task.”