Education Minister says teachers were ignorant
But there is one constituency the Minister will need given his political ambitions. That’s the unions who are vex, in fact downright angry, with him. And that bad blood just got hotter today when Faber reiterated that at least sixty percent of the teachers are not trained and that some were ignorant. And like his colleague, Wilfred Elrington, the Minister of Foreign Affairs who used the word artificial to describe our borders with Guatemala, Faber referred to the dictionary for the meaning of ignorant in relation to the teachers. But what’s next for the Minister and the unions? And does he and his ministry plan on making amends?
Patrick Faber, Minister of Education
“The other point that I made is ignorance which I’ve noticed that many have ran off with. I suppose they will soon start calling for my head for misuse of words like the Minister of Foreign Affairs and I made the point ignorant in the true sense of the word meaning that they don’t know any better. People who get up out there and I am ashamed to say but I am not saying it because I want to hurt anybody’s feelings; I am saying it because I believe that we need some serious efforts in this country and it’s not the ministry that is to be blamed here because we have done a stellar job at trying to get our teachers trained.”
“I will tell you that up until the point where the union had its press conference some time ago that we were in full dialogue and I need to dispel that notion that some have created out there. The union and this ministry have always had very cordial relations. We have an open door—my C.E.O. and I have an open door policy. We have engaged the union officials from time to time, they come into my office, we have meetings. In fact just before their press conference we had a three hour meeting at the ministry’s offices on North Front Street. So we have always had a very good relationship and since Friday I have asked my C.E.O. to communicate to Mr. Panti and Mr. Frazer and other union officials that we are asking them for a sit-down so that we can discuss the way forward.”
