An Update on Teachers Affected by Hurricane Lisa

Elena Smith

The B.N.T.U. National President also gave an update on the teachers who were affected by Hurricane Lisa earlier this month. Senator Elena Smith says that over two hundred teachers were affected and relief has not been provided as yet. Smith makes an appeal to government to assist teachers as urgently as possible.

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

“When we met with the minister, we had asked him specifically for them to assist the teachers as urgently as possible because we wanted for them to be in school with a sense of security and knowing that my roof has been fixed, I don’t have to worry now. We have teachers who still have their roofs off, whose houses are still in a mess, who have not been able to find the funds or to get the assistance to fix back their homes. Persons are still out there living with friends and not being able to be in a place where they have their privacy, you know. It is hard for you to be in a classroom and be focused on teaching your students knowing that tonight when I go home, I’ll be in the house with this person, I don’t have my own room. A colleague of mine, her roof went and she still has her stuff in her house and she has to be hoping that nobody goes in to take her stuff while she has to go and find somewhere else to live. And so I appealing to government, as much as possible, to please help our teachers to be able to build back. I know everybody needs the help and there are some people who are worse off than our teachers in terms of financially, but they really and truly need that help.”