The teacher shortage crisis worsens due to factors like brain drain and burnout. According to Sharon Kelsick, General Secretary of the Antigua and Barbuda Union of Teachers, even a small number of teacher departures significantly aggravates the shortage.
Between March and December of the previous year, around eight to nine teachers left, exacerbating the problem.
Many teachers leave for better opportunities abroad, leaving a substantial gap in the local education system.
Kelsick highlights the lack of mental health support for teachers, leading to emotional labor and potential long-term impacts on well-being.
Urging authorities for more support and financial investment, Kelsick warns of a possible irreversible point for the educational system, echoing previous union warnings.
In other news, adverse weather conditions causing disruptions are expected to normalize overnight into Saturday. The Windstar was the only vessel in port on Thursday, with three more expected arrivals on Friday, along with a military vessel for a scheduled visit.
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How come with never ending “hamnesty”. We are only attracting security guards, gas station workers and domestics? At least in the early days, some qualified Guyanese used to come. So there is no one to fill any of the positions in teaching etc. The other thing to note: Seemingly, qualified Antiguans are running away from this economic powerhouse. Try are going to St Kitts and elsewhere. We better wake up and wise up.
Here are some solutions.
Give our teachers a break.
Stop forcing teachers to teach students academics when you could see that they are great at doing woodwork and industrial arts subjects, have green thumbs making things grow, computer whiz, etc.
Run some subject camps and get the best of the best to teach them.
Bring some of the retired teachers back in the system for a while. Especially those who could teach English and Maths. Those who are not intimidated by their students or their parents.
Stop removing the foreign language subjects from the curriculum. Take a page out of those Asian students’ books. They all can speak or are learning to speak at least one other language. Get good teachers to teach the students, and even the teachers.
And give our teachers a pay raise. For God’s sake, they want to have a good life too.
ONE THOUGHT OR TWO
We all make wishes and promises but without a plan of action to make them real, they are ineffective. This comment can be the plan of action for our education administrators to make our Public School education system effective, real for the benefit of teachers, students, parents, our economy and society.
“In all our getting, get Wisdom and Understanding.”
Let us interact with Humanity, Grace, Honesty, Good Intentions! Be Nice to Each Other!
Save our Humanity, Save our Youths, Save our Environment, Save our Soil!!!
Be Safe and Well!
Respect
Outsource teachers and pay them properly for moving. The current set of teachers in Antigua (not the seasoned back in the day ones) but current, hardly understand the curriculum and for sure don’t even understand math or know comprehension English at the teaching level. That’s why the country continues to perform poorly each year at common entrance and csec level. And even if they do know how to do a math problem they only know how to do it linear as in one way, and not 3/4 ways to solve the problem, which any teacher should know.
As far as I see the young teaching the young, and that is fine, but we are not attracting talent but just people who wants a job because the government has failed its people at the institutional level after college by not having proper jobs.
This problem may get worse.
1…TEACHERS do not educate. They are guides(s) who helps you to navigate the EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS through dictated means and methods, by the Molders Of Society and their curricula.
2…E-Learning is the EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM of the future.
It had a very successful #Test_Run during the COVID-19 PLANDEMIC.
Therefore, in the future teachers/guides as we know them will become a relic of the past, as AI-Intelligence takes their place.
3…Hence, the importance and URGENCY, to introduce S.T.Ε.Α.M, – Science Technology Engineering ARTS and Mathematics in the EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM, in order, that the children of today will be able to navigate the WORLD MATRICES of tomorrow.
Many of today’s teachers/guides realize what is happening, therefore, it’s not surprising, that many of them are making hay while the sun is shining; since, E-LEARNING powered by AI – Artificial Intelligence is breathing down their necks. Stay stuck in one area(system), as is the case with Antigua, Barbuda & REDONDA will #pauperise them. Thus the burnout factor is increasing, along with the MENTAL HEALTH issues.
Jumbee_Picknee aka Ras Smood
De’ole Dutty Peg🦶🏿Garrat_Bastard
Vere C. Edwards
1…TEACHERS do not educate. They are guides(s) who helps you to navigate the EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS through dictated means and methods, by the Molders Of Society and their curricula.
2…E-Learning is the EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM of the future.
It had a very successful #Test_Run during the COVID-19 PLANDEMIC.
Therefore, in the future teachers/guides as we know them will become a relic of the past, as AI-Intelligence takes their place.
3…Hence, the importance and URGENCY, to introduce S.T.Ε.Α.M, – Science Technology Engineering ARTS and Mathematics in the EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM, in order, that the children of today will be able to navigate the WORLD MATRICES of tomorrow.
Many of today’s teachers/guides realize what is happening, therefore, it’s not surprising, that many of them are making hay while the sun is shining; since, E-LEARNING powered by AI – Artificial Intelligence is breathing down their necks. Staying stuck in one area(system), as is the case with Antigua, Barbuda & REDONDA will #pauperise them. Thus the burnout factor is increasing, along with the MENTAL HEALTH issues.
Jumbee_Picknee aka Ras Smood
De’ole Dutty Peg🦶🏿Garrat_Bastard
Vere C. Edwards
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