It was not the typical Christmas holiday for the newly elected executive of the Anguilla Teachers’ Union, which committed much of its time to reflecting and planning for the New Year ahead.
Apart from an extensive executive meeting early in the vacation, the President and her team made a courtesy call on H.E. Governor, Christina Scott, on 17th December 2015, for the purpose of opening dialogue as a critical step towards building a professional relationship between her and the Union.
In setting the tone for discussions, President Michelle thanked the Governor for her prompt response to their invitation and for availing herself of the opportunity to hear of the challenges that teachers face on a daily basis. A number of concerns were raised on behalf of teachers. They included: ongoing training and professional development of teachers, student indiscipline, student achievement, and teacher morale. Ms Queeley indicated that the Union is prepared to continue working with the Ministry of Education in responding to these and other concerns, but that the Governor’s support can serve to strengthen the partnerships, thereby helping to make the teaching experience more palatable for teachers. The establishment of a Teachers’ Commission was also noted as a priority area for the Union. Care was taken to explain what the roles and functions of the Commission would be and how it can help to add value to the profession.
Each of the areas generated lively and frank discussion, which all members of the executive members shared in.
In response, Governor Scott commended the executive for taking such an initiative to establish relations with her, and for the clear passion they exhibited throughout the discussions. Among other things, she took the time to share the results (specific to education) of the recently concluded Public Service People survey and engaged the executive in critical analysis of such. Attention was drawn to the statistical differences in the ratings of Primary and Secondary school teachers in key areas of engagement, learning and development, leadership and managing change, and inclusion and fair treatment. The survey results were instructive for the Union as they helped to shed more light on the issues raised throughout, and will be considered in more detail, including having discussions with the Ministry of Education in the months ahead.
The meeting on the whole was very successful and Governor Scott committed to providing support to the Union where helpful.
– Press Release
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
