Be fair to ‘senior teachers’

THE EDITOR: This is an open letter to the Ministry of Education and to TTUTA concerning the implementation of the post of Senior Teacher. Schools with a registration of under 400 students do not have a Vice Principal. Whenever the principal is absent, the most senior teacher on staff performs the duties of the principal. That person is usually referred to as “the senior teacher.” These duties are voluntarily performed by such teachers.

Now, the Government has created a post of Senior Teacher for such schools, which they intend to bring on stream in September 2003. They want teachers to apply for these posts and be interviewed and selected by the Teaching Service Commission. I suggest that for the introduction of these posts, they appoint the teachers who are currently performing these duties voluntarily. To do otherwise would be unfair and unjust to these teachers and would lead to frustration and possibly disappointment later on. So I am now calling on all such “senior teachers” to request that our union take up that case with the authorities. Let us give them the task of getting the Ministry to agree to guarantee our appointments for the implementation and afterwards, as posts become vacant, they then advertise, interview and select new appointees.

MONA RYAN
San Juan