Former teachers’ union president and UPP candidate for St John’s Rural East, Ashworth Azille, has voiced strong support for the teachers at Pares Secondary School who recently staged industrial action.
Speaking at a UPP rally in Paynters last night, Azille described the action as a “necessary stand” against long-standing issues in the school system, including unsafe conditions and government neglect.
Azille, who has decades of experience as an educator, highlighted the dire situation faced by teachers and students at the school. He detailed ongoing issues such as inadequate security, a lack of proper maintenance, and infestations of bats and rodents. “Teachers and students are expected to perform in conditions that are simply unacceptable,” he said, adding that the health and safety of educators and students have been consistently overlooked.
According to Azille, the concerns raised by the teachers are not new. “These issues date back years,” he said. “They’ve been raised repeatedly, yet nothing is done until a crisis emerges.” He pointed to the immediate deployment of heavy equipment to the school following the teachers’ protest as evidence of the government’s reactive, rather than proactive, approach.
Azille criticised the government’s failure to secure the school, noting that intruders have been able to access the compound and attack students. He questioned how educators and pupils are expected to feel safe in such an environment. “Bringing a low fence and calling it security is an insult,” he said.
The former union leader also expressed concern about the potential health risks posed by the infestations at the school, saying that teachers and students are not only exposed to unsafe conditions at work but risk carrying those issues home to their families. “This is not just about education; it’s about health and dignity,” he said.
Azille defended the teachers against critics who have questioned their decision to take industrial action. “No teacher takes this step lightly,” he said. “But when repeated calls for action are ignored, sometimes standing up becomes the only option.” He commended the teachers for prioritising the well-being of students and staff, describing their actions as a stand for the nation’s children.
He called for greater respect for educators, urging the government to address these long-standing problems with urgency and seriousness. “Teachers are not asking for luxuries; they’re asking for basic, decent conditions to do their jobs,” he said.
Azille framed the Pares Secondary School protests as emblematic of broader issues within Antigua and Barbuda’s education system. He urged the government to take a more strategic and consistent approach to maintaining schools and supporting educators.
“This is not an isolated incident,” he said. “It reflects a deeper systemic failure. Fixing fences and clearing out bats after protests won’t cut it. We need lasting solutions.”
As the rally continued, Azille called on voters to send a message of accountability by supporting UPP candidate George Wenner in the upcoming by-election for St Peter. “The teachers have done their part by standing up. Now it’s time for all of us to stand with them,” he said.
The by-election is set to take place on 14 January 2025.
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The teachers are absolutely correct. This is one of the times I see the merit of a complaint.
Well done teachers
a FAILED TEACHER
a FAILED PRINCIPAL
He couldn’t even manage Clare Hall School. Pressure buss pipe. He had to quit because he failed to properly manage the students, staff and teachers effectively.
He is not a “PEOPLE PERSON” and he is certainly not Antiguan! It’s a wonder he got Gisele approval. Guess she only hab chang for Jamaicans
The project at Pares Secondary School is a rush job that was put together due to the by-election in St. Peter’s. The teachers are showing the Constituents of St. Peter’s how they must deal with the forked tongue liars in the government. You are not disobedient children, gangsters etc. This government has more respect for gangsters than they do the tax paying and law abiding citizens.
Gangsters? Don’t you mean MURDEROUS MARRIED MAN? gunning down a pregnant woman is what passes for political approval these days?
Garot indeed! Azille and his former chums have deliberately orchestrated this as a political tool in their person quest for power. Then they complain about low performance in our schools. Of course there would be. Antigua is in dire need of teachers, not mere jobbers. Unfortunately we have become saturated with people who meet the professional qualifications, (most barely) but lack the more critical qualifications for training the young minds of the Nation. The system needs to be flushed thoroughly so that the demons of destruction could be kept away from destroying our future vested on our children. Ask these don’t-care-damn teachers and their conspirators where they have enrolled their own children and you would understand why they don’t give one damn whether your child(ren) receive even basic information. Some “teachers” need to be re-asigned. Public works, more specifically Roadworks, and construction, agricultural workers are some areas that are woefully short of laborers. It’s time to stop providing refuge for the otherwise unemployable.
Ashworth is of NO WORTH.
He is DUMBkneeCan just like the “Loser Lawyer”