B.N.T.U. Says, Teachers Have Lost Trust in MoESCT

And, President Smith says her teachers have lost trust in the ministry. She says, based on this weekend’s event and previous occurrences, teachers are no longer able to believe that the Ministry of Education will keep its word. Here is how she puts it.

Elena Smith

Elena Smith, President, B.N.T.U.

“While the ministry has that mandate to do those things, the ministry has partners to work with. And while working in partnership with us you must have to then give us that respect as partners. Not because you are the ones to determine you will just say this is what it must be. That is why we are partners and that is why we are working together to ensure that. We said to the minister we want to work together because we want to ensure that learning continues as best as we can.  But, we have to be considerate; we have to be compassionate at a time like this.”

Paul Lopez

“Where do the ministry and union’s relation’s stand at this point?”

Elena Smith

“I will tell you, our teachers had been paying attention and they feel anytime they meet with the ministry and they come to some decision, some agreement, and something goes out, for example a memo, a release, those things are never as they were discussed in ht meeting. Our teachers are really and truly right now not happy with the ministry. They don’t trust them any at all, and we can’t blame them. We sat in a meeting three of us and we said on the fourteenth and hours later we see a memo coming out to say as was said before it is going to be on the seventh. How can I sit in a meeting going forward and trust that whatever you are telling me that you are going to be abiding by those things we agree to.”