Lecturers at Dominica State College (DSC) have recently voiced their ongoing grievances regarding unresolved issues pertaining to salary, working conditions, and administrative appointments.
An official letter from the faculty dated February 26, 2025, asserts that despite industrial actions taken in May 2021 and subsequent agreements aimed at resolving these concerns, significant problems persist.
Among their main issues is the stark disparity in salaries; graduate lecturers earn less than their peers in secondary schools, with no adjustments made to account for inflation or to establish a clear distinction between tertiary and secondary educators.
The condition of the college’s facilities reportedly further exacerbates the woes of both staff and students. Lecturers have highlighted the disrepair of the automobile and mechanical engineering facilities, along with multiple leaking roofs across campus. Additionally, the unsanitary state of bathrooms poses a health concern, says the letter, as there are no designated washrooms for lecturers on the lower campus, forcing them to share with students. This situation raises privacy issues and has led to episodes of student intrusions and unlocked doors, contributing to a challenging working environment, according to reports from the lecturers.
Another pressing issue is the prolonged vacancy in the position of College President, which has left the current Officer-in-Charge serving a third six-month term without a clear mandate. Many lecturers, some with over 16 years of service, report they have yet to receive formal appointments. Despite previous discussions and negotiations with the college’s board and unions, the letter outlines that promised solutions have not materialized, and deadlines have been ignored.
The letter concludes with a strong plea saying that the faculty’s sense of abandonment is palpable, and they are urging immediate action to rectify these longstanding problems, emphasizing that both educators and students deserve a more conducive and supportive learning environment.
See letter below:
You guys tired get pacified and go silent. not sure what yall teaching at the college but that place is supposed to be the pipeline for the country leaders. The students are docile and mute. It should be fight for lectures and students. This is the highest intellectual institution in the country but it’s like a bad dog with no teeth similar to the Bar association. 16 years, promise un kept, disrespect, abuse, low pay but yet you guys choose to accept that is what our governance should be. The college need to rethink its purpose in society or continue to take what yall accept. Prepare men and women for leading this country right or to be self serving butt kissing misfits.
But he wants to abolish income tax! I wonder what the income tax is allocated for in the government expenditure? Where will the money to fix roads, repair schools, hospitals, pay civil servants come from? Passports will not sell forever!
@Truth Be Told
By incentivizing the private sector – attracting many more foreign and local investments. At the same time, reducing the country’s gargantuan wage bill by decreasing the potbelly Cabinet of ministers and downsizing the civil service. There are too many political appointees getting a government monthly cheque for doing absolutely nothing.
Well put my bro….tell them! Oh Dominica!
The present DLP administration has consistently displayed a callous disregard for the well-being of both the civil servants and crucial public institutions. The hospitals, health centers, schools, college, public library, post office, police stations, court house have all fallen into a sorry state of disrepair.
A few years ago, we all saw some photos of the Dominica State College. Even to house pigs in such deplorable conditions, the person(s) should be charged with cruelty to animals.
The lecturers and staff should take industrial action. Force makes water climb hills and mountains. The Roosevelt-led idiocracy is not fit for purpose. We are witnessing a country being disintegrated in real tie before our eyes. Enough is Enough! The country is being badly mismanaged. Time for Roosevelt and his sheep-like misfits to be kicked to the curb.