Teachers’ Service Commission on the way

PRIME MINISTER Freundel Stuart has given the assurance that within a few weeks local educators will have their own Teachers’ Service Commission to solve problem1s facing that profession.

His comments came during the Democratic Labour Party’s 62nd anniversary service which was held at Bethesda Tabernacle in Vauxhall yesterday morning.

There have been numerous calls for a Service Commission by Teachers’ Unions over the years, and more recently by President of the Barbados Union of Teachers, Pedro Shepherd, last week at the BUT’s annual conference.

The Prime Minister explained that provisions to separate the teaching profession from the Public Service Commission were made over four decades ago.

“In the area of education 43 years ago in the month of August, the government of Barbados under the leadership at the time of the then Prime Minister the Rt Hon Errol Barrow ...amended the Constitution of Barbados to make a number of provisions for various aspects of our national life.

“One of the areas for which provision was made was for the establishment of a separate Teachers Service Commission. It was thought as far back as then 1974 August that the Teaching profession was sufficiently important to deserve its own Service Commission where issues of recruitment, promotion, discipline all issues touching and concerning the teaching profession would be handled by their own Service Commission whether than having them lumped together as they still are today with the Public Service Commission the General Public Service of Barbados. That was 43years ago,” he said.

Prime Minister Stuart noted that successive governments over the last 43 years have not been able to make this a reality. “And the teaching service has continued to be lumped together with the general public service. With all the pressures that has placed on the Public Service Commission which not only has to deal with thousands of public servants generally but also has to deal with the about 3 600 teachers in our system today.

“...In a matter of weeks we are going to have Section 89 A of the Constitution of Barbados proclaimed to make provision for the separate Teaching Service Commission in Barbados. That will put the teaching profession in a position where they can get the highly specialised treatment and attention they both need and deserve. That should help to deal with many of the problems which have bedevilled the teaching profession over the last 40 years,” the Prime Minister stated. (JH)