The last-minute reassignment of principals and deputy principals across the public school system last week has disrupted the lives of several educators who were acting in those positions for lengthy periods of time, says the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT).
In a recent statement, union president Rudy Lovell said that the people in the acting positions did not have a single negative report laid against them and they felt demoralised after serving in those roles for years.
“These late notifications and announcements are very disruptive, unearthing and demoralising and demonstrate a lack of planning and organisation by the authorities. The union calls on the authorities to do a better job at human resource management and public sector reform. Educational institutions were on summer holiday for close to ten weeks and for individuals to hear of these critical changes after a week of planning for teaching and learning with their staff at the 11th hour is disheartening,” he said.
“Many of these affected individuals were acting in these positions for periods of two or three years in some instances and had legitimate expectations of continuing in these roles after attending interviews. Additionally, they have no negative reports on their performances during the period but must now revert to their substantive positions after a one-off interview, and at times to individuals with absolutely no previous experience.”
Twelve principals and 17 deputy principals were appointed last week. Some were informed about their new roles the night before the new school term started while others found out hours before the start of school. This also caused many principals and deputy principals to be reassigned to new schools.
Lovell said the process in which these appointments were made needed to be adjusted.
“The union is of the view that the period served in the positions and the experience gained along with the interview process should weigh heavily and be advantageous in making these final decisions. Is it that these persons are good enough to lead these institutions in acting positions but inept for the substantive posts? Is it a case of extraneous factors being a major determinant in these appointments? It begs the question,” he said.
Noting that there were many unfilled vacancies at the primary school level where a number of principals and senior teachers were still carrying out duties in acting positions, the BUT head said that all appointments should be done in a timely manner in accordance with the law.
“The Public Service Act states that vacant posts in the public service should be filled within a year as outlined in Part 3, Establishment of Offices, Section 13 (11).
There are two circumstances under which posts can remain vacant and none of them exists in this instance. This section is often ignored. For example, at one secondary school, a teacher has been acting as a head of department for ten years, and in other instances at other schools, teachers have been acting in a similar role or as a year head position for several years.
“These people, having performed their duties admirably, are ousted from these positions after an unsuccessful interview, even though they never had an adverse evaluation written against them. This is similar to what happened to many of those affected on the 18th of September 2023. It is our view that the authorities must make a concerted effort to fill all established vacancies in the teaching service within a year. This will help to eliminate some of these issues in our schools,” Lovell said.
The BUT head said he was sure that what occurred last week “has affected the ethos and culture of the affected secondary institutions as well as staff and students”. “One wonders if those in authority do not understand how these institutions function. These last-minute changes are too messy and disruptive. Coming out of a COVID-19 pandemic with so much focus on the mental health of people, one wonders whether this aspect of the process was even considered,” he added.
To avoid a recurrence of what happened last week, Lovell suggested that future interviews be conducted in accordance with the Public Service Act 2007 and at least three months in advance of the date posts are expected to be filled.
As it relates to the appointment of the new principals and deputy principals, the BUT has requested a meeting with the Ministry of Public Service to discuss the nature of their appointments.
Lovell said the union strongly objected to contracts for principals and deputy principals and was unsure about all the terms and conditions attached to the recent appointments.
(SZB)
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