Minister of Education and Technical and Vocational Training, the Hon. Glenys Hanna Martin, addressed the teacher shortage dilemma at the weekly press briefing held at the Office of the Prime Minister.
“The major thing we’re facing right now is language art, English teachers, and we’re trying very hard, very hard. We know that there islands now that are still experiencing deficits. We are aware. We are concerned. Also we’re still hiring teachers through the system. I’ve spoken to the Minister of State, she understands the urgency, the minister himself, Mitchell, understands the urgency and we’re working with the Public Service Commission to prioritize teachers to get them through this system, the bureaucracy, and to get them on the ground and transferred.”
Hanna Martin went on to explain, “many teachers don’t want go to the islands, this is not what we’ve seen before. Usually when the government recruits teachers they understand we’re an archipelago, we’re not a Nassau. We have Andros, Exuma, Eleuthera, Mayaguana, Inagua, Crooked Island, Acklins, Long Cay. Everybody is entitled to education and we’re finding that a lot of our teachers do not want to go. Particularly in places like Abaco where it’s post hurricane and also high cost of accommodations high cost of living.”
