Disgraceful teachers

THE NATION'S parents will be pleased with the candour of Mr Trevor Oliver, President of the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association, when he addressed the opening ceremony of the 63rd annual Tobago Teachers Get Together at the Tobago Hilton last Thursday. The TTUTA President did not mince his words in criticising the conduct of certain teachers whom he regarded as "a disgrace to the profession."

Mr Oliver said: "While most of our teachers operate professionally, there are quite a few who are bringing the service into disrepute." He added: "Teachers cannot expect students to be punctual if they are habitual latecomers, teachers cannot expect students to gain maximum benefits from poorly planned lessons. Most staff representatives carry themselves in a dignified and professional manner, but some of them are a disgrace to the profession."

The TTUTA President's outspoken condemnation of the performance and deportment of some teachers is welcome, even if long in coming. It depicts a situation which concerns many parents who expect the teachers of their children to be not only dedicated and effective educators but also good exemplars and role models. Many parents, however, have been dismayed by the reports they receive about the poor and indifferent attitude of teachers and the slovenly way in which they carry themselves. Over the years, this newspaper has received several complaints from disturbed parents about this problem, especially the high level of absenteeism among certain teachers which results in classes left to idle and students not being able to keep up with the curriculum in certain subjects.

Our view is that these delinquent teachers, although they may be a minority, are not just a disgrace but a menace to the profession. On the one hand, they are depriving many of our children of the quality education to which they are entitled and, on the other, they are also setting the worst possible examples by their sloppy and cavalier conduct. Some of them, in fact, may well be contributing to the indiscipline and disrespect we see today in the behaviour of so many of the country's young people. Mr Oliver has seen the need to publicly condemn these offending teachers but, unfortunately, he has not disclosed what is TTUTA's approach to the problem or what possible prescription could be applied to resolve it. The difficulty of dealing with unfit or lackadaisical teachers is nothing new, it has always troubled the service just as the burden of crooked or non-performing policemen has affected the image and effectiveness of the Police Service.

While they may be pleased with Mr Oliver's forthright recognition of the problem, we believe that parents would hardly be satisfied with just the airing of it. The damage being done by bad teachers in a society such as ours, plagued by growing amorality and lawlessness among our young people, is too severe to be tolerated as a traditional or unavoidable weakness. A more decisive method of solving this dilemma has to be found by the stakeholders in the education system. TTUTA must recognise a responsibility to assist in the solution. The Ministry must look at the present system of disciplining and dismissing delinquent teachers and devise a more effective way. If, as it appears, the Service Commission has become outdated, its disciplinary rigmarole providing undue protection for inept teachers, then a more suitable or relevant process must be instituted. Every child must be assured of having good teachers.