Newly-elected president of the Antigua & Barbuda Union of Teachers (ABUT), Kimdale Mackellar said he “would like to usher in a new spirit of cooperation with the Ministry of Education.”
Mackellar takes up the post six months after former President, Ashworth Azille suddenly tendered his resignation in April.
At the time Ashworth said, “I have some personal convictions, my membership will have certain expectations and when those two things are in conflict with each other there is no sense butting heads.”
The new president said “I’m going to be actually listening a lot to the teachers, looking out for their interests, fighting going forward for whatever it is.” He explained, “when I say fighting, I don’t necessarily mean being contentious but I’m going to be pushing teachers’ issues and issues affecting teachers, especially, all the time.”
“You’re going to be hearing my voice a lot advocating for teachers issues in a way that you probably never heard any president have done before, or maybe not in a long time”, Mackellar added.
The president said he believed a lot could be achieved by the union working in partnership with the Ministry.
“We are hoping we can actually bridge a lot of gaps, build bridges, make things better for everyone, for the whole education system because at the end of the day, we’re working or the same thing, towards the same goal, which is to make education the best that it can be in Antigua and Barbuda”, Mackellar said on state media.
“What we don’t want is disruption in schools especially now, you know there has to be some sense of order, we don’t want things to go awry. In the past, the Ministry has done some consultations with us on some matters. I know most recently, we would have been able to suggest to them and look over their protocols regarding COVID-19 and I think that has gone very well for the most part”, he added.
Mackellar said high on his agenda is the “upgrade of teachers. That has been outstanding for too long and that is going to be one of the first things that I try to deal with because we have to come to some closure. There are some teachers who have been there in the system since 2016 who haven’t been upgraded as yet and it’s hard and it’s especially harder now that there is COVID.”
He said he will also be advocating for clarification on some of the COVID-19 protocols in the schools and for a plan for the Theatre Arts subject since social distancing requirements make it impossible to follow the syllabus.
Other issues identified include unreliable internet access at some schools and a shortage of teachers.
Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Antigua!
We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages.
Contact us at [email protected]
Congratulations regarding your assertion to this office. I note the Facebook page has now gone. The sanitizing has occurred. Much success in this endeavor which will renown to the people of our nation
assentation
Thank you for your kind remarks and well wishes. Please note however that there has been no “sanitization” of my personal Facebook page. I deactivate the page at the start of each school term to minimize distractions and to focus on what’s important. During school breaks it will be reactivated.
Thank you sir. I will look forward to the school break for your most thought provoking comments/jabs LOL
ascension
All the best to you Sir. If you’re leadership style is as attractive as your lips, then for sure you and your team will be successful. Goodluck.
😅🤦🏽Thank you.
Teaching needs to be transformed into a real profession with a set standard. I find that it is too easy for people to qualify as a teacher and this is causing the profession to be in disrepute. Lawyers and nurses are more prestigious because there is a set standard on become a lawyer or nurse. Becoming a teacher is as simple as being hired to teach. The difference may seem nuanced at first but there is a significant difference.
I hope and trust that you indeed will not be as antagonistic as your predecessor who seem to have political motives. Fight for the cause of teachers period. Cause some teachers are UPP supporters and others are ABLP supporters.
Comments are closed.