Our Readers' Opinions
June 4, 2010

Is it a disgrace to be a Secretary, Mr. Charles?

Fri, Jun 04, 2010

Editor: I have been a teacher for sixteen years and I am very annoyed by the absurdity of the President and Industrial Relations Officer of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Teachers’ Union.{{more}}

Is there no person among our teachers who could have done Mr. Hugh Wyllie’s job? Imagine these two gentlemen want to destroy what the Prime Minister has fought so hard for in launching an Education Revolution to upgrade our students and teachers. Mr. Prime Minister, you are giving our young people a chance to become great men and women. You have even brought young people into the government making them Senators etc. God bless you. Efficiency and effectiveness are what we want. People can have fifty years in an establishment and are neither efficient nor effective.

It is appalling for Mr. Elvis Charles to stress that a young lady who has been a Secretary previously in a Secondary School has gone to Teachers’ College and passed an examination that has been upgraded to an Associate Degree in flying colours as too young and inexperienced to lead. Many of my colleagues failed and have to rewrite subjects, in some cases the whole course. Mr. Charles, is not this a plus for that teacher? Is not the Job Description the same for all Qualified Assistant Teachers whether you finished ten years or three years ago?

Mr. Charles, please tell me, is it a disgrace to be a secretary? Why are you decrying this profession?

Mr. Wyllie, you are so bitter with the present administration that you seek to divide our teachers and use them as political tools. Teachers, let us be vigilant and look out for the wolves in sheep clothing among us. We are educators and should be our brothers’ keepers and be professionals. Let us applaud what is good and call a spade a spade – applaud the young ambitious teacher and stop maligning our associates. Let us work together with a cooperative spirit to build our nation, especially the students who are entrusted in our care. Tell me, what is the real issue here?

The article of May 14, 2010, is both trivial and empty. Somebody is trying to fool John Public. I am thinking seriously of withdrawing my membership from the Teachers’ Union. This is not the kind of representation I want.

A Teacher