Members of the Dominica Association of Teachers (DAT) are being encouraged to take a more active role in the affairs of the organization.
President of the association, Mervin Alexander, made the call during his address to teachers at the DAT 21st Annual General Meeting (AGM).
“With this in mind, I want to again encourage you, the members of this organization, to take a more active role in the affairs of the organization,” he said. “This is your organization and its failure or success depends on you, the general membership. “
Alexander continued, “To my mind, too many of you are standing on the fence or on the side and all I hear are criticisms and of course, when the question is poised as to what would you like to see your organization do or be involved in, you are silent.”
He said for years, he has been asking for teachers to volunteer as school representatives, which to his mind, would serve as an extension of the National Executive, where more ideas can flow and also serve as a liaison between the general membership and the National Executive.
“To date, very few have responded, not even 10,” Alexander revealed. “I am again making an appeal to teachers to come on board.”
Alexander said it was his intention to visit as many schools as possible before the AGM, however due to health matters, he could not.
He hopes that after the AGM, the office will receive the names of teachers who would like to serve as school representatives in the various schools across the island.
Meantime, the DAT president indicated that salary negotiations are now completed and the result is far from what the association was looking for.
“But of course, many things had to be taken into consideration,” he remarked. “And you would have noticed that DAT was the last of the three representative bodies representing public officers to sign on to the agreement.”
Alexander said that even though one union had already accepted the government’s offer, “we were still voicing our dissatisfaction, however after two accepted and signed, we had to yield.”
He believes that the time has come when all three representative bodies for public officers should come together on such matters and present a united front.
“You will agree with me that teachers here in Dominica are nowhere close to some of your colleagues in the region in fighting for what they know they truly deserve,” Alexander stressed. “I exhort you to take a leaf out of the book of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association – a classic example – while teachers of the region are at loggerheads with CXC and their governments over payment to teachers for marking SBA’s, the Jamaican teachers are being paid.”
The DAT president believes that one of the Association’s major concerns is that needs to be addressed is the recognition of teacher’s qualifications.
“Why should trained teachers with a degree and performing well in the classroom have to wait until a graduate teacher trained or untrained, dies or resigns, to get a promotion because there are a limited number of positions?” he asked.
He is of the view that this is not facilitating the retention of Dominica’s best brains in the country’s educational system.
“If I am not mistaken, Dominica is probably the only country in the region where teachers are not adequately compensated for their degrees,” Alexander contends. “I wonder how those now in government, who were once teachers, would react to having their degrees and getting paid as a Qualified Teacher or being temporary for a number of years.”
He said he is looking forward to the outcome of the reclassification of the public service which started in November of 2020 and which is expected to be completed in September 2021.
Alexander called on teachers who are offering teacher education programmes to please include in the programme some training for the visual and performing Arts.
“From Kindergarten through college, we are taught mathematics, languages, arts, science, social studies etc. Teachers education programmes help us to impart this knowledge to students; no one teaches us music, drama, dance or arts & craft, yet these are expected to be taught,” he explained.
He said these are all skills that teachers must have in order to teach effectively.
“Again, to those offering training programmes for teachers, it may be in the interest of all to re-examine what is being offered and how adequate it is to the needs of our education system in producing all-rounded students,” Alexander advised.
He said empowering teachers with knowledge, emotional coping skills and creative arts skills are important mechanisms for equipping them to effectively perform their tasks in producing well-rounded students and serving as pillars for sustainable development.
Various programmes will be offered during the July/August break and Alexander hopes that teachers will enroll for one or more of those programmes.
Teaching is the noblest of all the professions. It also the only one that touches the future.
Teachers potentially have a lot of power once they are united. As a united force they can bargain successfully for whatever they desire (better salary, better working conditions on the job, more resources, better training, more room for upward mobility, sabbatical for long service) etc.
Teachers are their own worst enemies. They are much too docile, pliable and divided. Therefore, they would remain in subtle poverty forever.
Come on TEACHERS! Get Up, Stand Up and assert your rights.
D.A.T full of crap
Stupessssssss these people folded worst that a freshly washed hospital bed sheet
Dont stress yourself over them Mervin… Let them paddle their own canoes!!