The President of the Bahamas Educators, Counsellors and Allied Workers Union (BECAWU) is commenting on ongoing issues within the public education system as the new 2023/2024 school year begins.
Union President Sandra Major spoke to ZNS News about the need for more teachers in specialized areas, “what we need are Bahamians to fill the technical positions. And so we need them in special education. We need more males of which we’re not getting from The Bahamas. We need more people in the music, in agriculture, in technical drawing, in mechanics, in home economics.”
Major hopes more Bahamians will enter the field of education as six expatriate teachers have been assigned to the island of Grand Bahama this year. “If they’re are doing cosmetology, they’re coming out and they’re going to do their business because they know that they’re gonna make more money doing that. How do we get them to come in? When come out and you do mechanic, you’re gonna go out and open a business and fix somebody car. You’re gonna do IT, you’re going and you’re forming your own business. We need you in the classroom.”
Area Vice President Michelle Outten informed that teachers are waiting to receive geographical allowance so that they can be disbursed to the islands. Grand Bahama is one of the island awaiting teachers.
