Ministry of Education Will Monitor Situation at Claver College Extension

Nine of eleven teachers at the Claver College Extension on Punta Gorda were fired earlier this week on Tuesday. The teachers were let go when they could not agree on the terms of a contract on their salaries to be paid every two months. Board Chair Lisel Alamilla sent them home and is looking for new teachers.  In the meantime classes have been suspended for the eighty-five students.  Today, the Minister of Education Patrick Faber said that the school is a private facility and as such the Ministry of Education cannot at this time intervene.

Patrick Faber

Patrick Faber, Minister of Education

“Claver College Extension is not a government owned or government-aided or grant-aided is a better way to put it. So this is not one of the schools that the government has any direct control or say over. This is a private institution that has on several times called upon the government for support and we do so by giving special assistance. If you recall the last time this school was in the news, it was because the management of the school was indicating that it did not have the funds to pay the teachers and I had said to them, provided that they get their act together and put together a proper board and show us that they are complying with certain things that only could help in terms to the school being managed properly, we would then consider whether we would give them a special assistance grant. We worked with the school to ensure that some of those things were cleared up and evidently now, they are engaged in some turmoil in terms of their management issue. It just so happens that Lisel Alamilla who was a former minister of government is the board chair, but that has nothing to do with the government. The government did not appoint Lisel Alamilla to act on its behave and that has nothing to do with the government or the Ministry of Education. So I want to make that crystal clear; that is by chance so that is a matter for them to discuss.  But I’ve said that the Ministry of Education continues to observe this situation and where it is we feel that the school is not being managed properly, we reserve the right to withhold our special assistance.”