Payment concerns, other issues affecting teachers being resolved – Pres. Ali

Issues affecting teachers in the local education sector were Tuesday acknowledged by President Dr. Irfaan Ali as he reassured stakeholders that these shortcomings are being resolved.

Dr. Ali, in a teachers’ day message on his Facebook page, reflected on many of the well-ventilated issues that teachers have complained of.

One issue, he said, was that trainee teachers only received a stipend of $11,000. More recently, however, he explained that those teachers have been placed on the payroll and are receiving an $80,000 salary.

The President said he has also instructed the Education Ministry to offer new teachers the salary paid in the current year instead of the previous year’s salary, as is currently done. According to him, more than 1, 300 teachers will benefit when this correction is made.

Beyond these payment resolutions, the workload of teachers is being addressed.

“Supporting them is not only a salaried activity, but it is also giving them a good working environment,” the President said.

As such, steps will be taken to offload some of the clerical or administrative duties teachers perform.

In fact, the Head of State highlighted, “… I have instructed the Ministry of Education to look at every school and give every school clerical support so the burden of record-keeping is removed from the teachers and they have more time for the classroom and to work in the learning environment.”

The deployment of more schools’ guidance and counselling offers, establishing day care centres, and making teachers’ training more accessible are among the additional initiatives being pursued.

Improving salaries, he said, is also a priority.