Educators on the island will get an opportunity to air mounting concerns on a number of Covid-19 related issues this afternoon when they meet with officials within the Ministry of Education.
President of the Antigua and Barbuda Union of Teachers Kimdale Mackellar said educators are very concerned about their health and safety and that of their students and relatives.
The meeting, scheduled for 3:30 this afternoon, comes at a time when a second educational institution was forced to close temporarily because of virus concerns.
“I have a meeting with the Director of Education and the permanent secretary to discuss a range of issues, most of them Covid-19 related and we are hoping to get those resolved soonest. We are very concerned to the point where we are getting alarmed so I would like to take the opportunity to appeal to the general public to follow the protocols because of course, it affects the wider society.
“We applaud the efforts the ministry has made but we need to remain vigilant and so wherever there is an issue or concern we want to meet and dialogue with the ministry as soon as possible to get it rectified and to be honest they are very responsive,” Mackellar said.
The talks also come on the heels of concerns expressed about sanitation at Pares Secondary School.
Mackellar revealed that the union did receive correspondence from the union representative at the school indicating that number of cleaners at the institution had taken sick leave thus raising concerns regarding a perceived lack of sanitization of the facility.
He later told Observer that the matter at Pares Secondary was resolved today.
On Monday teachers at the All Saints Secondary wrote to the Ministry of Education seeking clarification about who will pay for a teacher’s Covid-19 test if he/she comes into contact with a student who may have contracted the virus.
Also, on Monday, the teaching staff at Pigotts Primary school complained of flooding and unsuitable outside facility where classes are expected to be held among other issues.