Officials report over 200 new appointments in teaching positions over past year, challenge salary disparity

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Robert Guiste has revealed that over 200 teachers on the island have received permanent appointments in the last academic year.

He made the announcement during the Dominica Teachers Association’s (DAT )18th Biennial Convention of the Dominica Association of Teachers (DAT) on Wednesday.

“For too long, the security and status of our educators did not match the magnitude of your contribution.  We have been working to change that,” he said. “The ministry has made significant intentional strides in regularizing the career paths of our teachers.”

Guiste continued, “We have moved decisively to create permanent appointments for qualified educators across numerous critical roles. Today, I can boast and confirm that we have secured permanent appointments for all of our deputies and our assistant principals, most of our heads of departments, senior graduate teachers, senior qualified teachers, graduate teachers, and qualified teachers.”

He added, “In fact, over the last academic year, we have received appointments for over 200 teachers, and that is the most in the public service. That’s the most across the public service.  Over 200 permanent appointments for our teachers.”

Guiste stated that the Ministry of Education is reclassifying primary school teachers, which will include deputy principals when needed, graduate teachers, [and] senior qualified teachers.

“We have met on this, we have met with the union, we have had discussions with the union on that,” he explained. “We are also in the process of regularizing the Early Childhood Development Sector with the hope that it will eventually fall into the mainstream system.”

He went on to say that for now, early childhood educators are contractual workers, “and we are hoping that very soon we can change that.”

Guiste indicated that this is not merely an administrative exercise, further noting that permanent appointment means job security.

“It means access to full benefits.  It means pensionable service.  And most importantly, it means dignity.  It means you can plan your future, plan your family’s future and your career without the cloud of uncertainty,” he emphasized. “Furthermore, we have tackled the precarious status of teachers serving on program requirements.”

Meanwhile, re-elected President of the DAT Mervin Alexander has raised concerns regarding the division between government teachers and government-assisted teachers.

“But there is a little issue we must confront, one that affects fairness and unity among our profession, and that is the division between government- teachers and teachers in the government assisted schools,” he remarked. “There is a little issue going around now which DAT is not very satisfied with.”

Alexander questioned why educators and principals working in private educational institutions assisted by the government should receive lower salaries than their counterparts employed directly by the government, in public schools.

 “The question is, aren’t we all teaching children of the Commonwealth of Dominica? Aren’t we all serving the same nation? Aren’t we all carrying the same responsibilities? If that is so, why the disparity?  Why?” he asked.

He continued, “This is a question we have to ask ourselves.  Is that fair?  I don’t think it is fair.  Do you think it is fair?  Because we are all working in the interest of the nation.”

Alexander said the DAT is clear that fairness matters.

“Now assistance can be one-sided.  Yes, some support is given to those schools, but is that enough?” he asked.