Sick day for Ladyville teachers on last day of school

In the recent past there have been numerous teachers and parents that have gone public with their woes over school management. Well, classes break on Friday but who said there wouldn’t be more management troubles to end the 2010 school year?  Today eight out of thirteen teachers at the Ladyville Evangelical Primary School called in sick.  They represent the majority of teachers at that institution and signaled a strong statement to the administration and management of the evangelical mission that runs that school.  Marion Ali went looking for answers.

Marion Ali, Reporting

While there is only one school day left in the 2009 school year, eight out of thirteen teachers at the Ladyville Evangelical Primary School saw it necessary to throw in the towel and stay away from the classroom.  But their reasons for doing so had nothing to do with the children they teach.

Hiliana Garcia, Teacher, Ladyville Evangelical Primary

hiliana garcia

“One of the teachers received a termination letter on Tuesday, Noemi Pol, saying that on August her job is terminated. We are in support for her because hse has been working under this management for three years. So we really would like the management to take that into consideration.”

Marion Ali

“According to Mr. Chi, her contract expires in August. A contract is a legally binding document. What would there be wrong about her contract not being renewed?”

Hiliana Garcia

“Everybody else has a contract in the staff. Why she will get fired?”

Marion Ali

“He’s saying that she is not being fired. He is saying that the contract expires in August. That’s his position.”

Hiliana Garcia

“Okay, well he needs to tell us what is the situation of her; if she could be hired again or why she cannot be hired again.”

Marion Ali

“Have you approached the B.N.T.U.?”

Hiliana Garcia

“Yes, they have letters of us and the ministry has letters and everybody is looking into that.”

Marion Ali

According to the general manager, he also has problems with you the teachers in that some of you call in sick from time to time as you did today. you don’t show up for school and you don’t hand in your work plans which you are required to do.”

Hiliana Garcia

“Well, that’s all members in the staff; not only us.”

Isolene Estell, Teacher, Ladyville Evangelical Primary

“You can’t just terminate someone for no reason at all. We know that they’re claiming that the teacher has a contract but then this is it; if I am teaching there for three years and there are others that just started teaching, a space come up for a permanent, will you give me the person with experience or the person without experience? That is what is happening.  We’re not quarrelling; it’s just the way how the administration is being run okay. They want to be dictators.”

Marion Ali

“Are you saying principal or the general manager because you said the administration, which is the principal?”

Isolene Estell

“Okay, I’m talking about the principal and the vice principal. They just come and they want to tell us what to do. We’re not—our body is not working together. We are not working together as a staff because they keep leaving us out. We do not know what is happening at the school.”

Marion Ali

“Out of what?”

Isolene Estell

“For example the graduation; we did not know anything about the graduation, we the teachers. The booklets that they made for the graduation we saw that when we went to the graduation. We just got an invitation, that’s all.”

Principal of the school, Elia Chi, said indeed the majority of the teachers did not show up to school today and admitted that this was not the first time that it has happened.

Elia Chi

Elia Chi, Principal, Ladyville Evangelical Primary

“I received six calls this morning. Six of my teachers reported sick this morning and later on at around eleven o’clock I received another call from another teacher that is sick. But really it’s seven of them that are absent and eight of us are here.”

Marion Ali

“They called in sick.”

Elia Chi

“Yes, that’s what they—six of them called six and one of them said that she has to do a private affair.”

Marion Ali

“Okay, six teachers calling sick one day, there has to be a problem.”

Elia Chi

“Really, this is not the first time that I am experiencing a good amount of teachers being absent. Throughout the school year I have also informed the management that one of the problems in our school is teacher absenteeism. I am positive that sitting down together, if there are some issues lets speak about it, let’s find solutions. As a principal, I am looking for the welfare of my students. There’s much things that we need to work and I think that all of us are professionals. We could sit together and work for the benefit of the students.”

General Manager of the Evangelical schools, Eutemio Chi says the management also has problems with teachers violating their terms of employment.

Eutemio Chi, Gen. Mgr., U.E.C.B. Schools

Eutemio Chi

“There are teachers that are not complying with their responsibilities. For example, not submitting weekly plans and a lot of—how can I say… like what is happening right now, not showing up in school. It’s a problem in the classroom using the cell phone during classes for fifteen minutes. That’s a concern. Not showing up at school and just sending message with another person and not informing direct  to the principal, that is a very serious situation.”

Marion Ali

“Mr. Chi eight teachers reported sick today. Eight teachers are not at the school that you are responsible for. You’re saying—in your words I am interpreting, that there is not a problem. But if eight out of thirteen teachers reported sick or called in sick, that’s the majority at the school. There seems to be a problem, Sir.”

Eutemio Chi

“I’ve been looking at what needs to be done at the school and if that really is causing some resistance from certain teachers, we have a responsibility to our children.”

The teachers are concerned that because they decided to collectively get the media’s attention, the school will penalize them for it, but Eutemio Chi assured that this will not happen. Marion Ali for News Five.