The Dominica Association of Teachers continues to negotiate and seek the best for all teachers in the Commonwealth of Dominica.
The DAT is pleased at last that the Government has responded to its plea for regularizing certain positions in the secondary schools.
This submission was made by the DAT in its proposal for a new Collective Agreement for the 2009 – 2012 Triennium and in subsequent proposals not only for secondary schools but also for primary schools.
In the 2019/2020 Budget address, a pronouncement was made to modernize and transform the administrative structures of the teaching service specifically looking at the Secondary Schools.
This document was not presented to the DAT, instead, another document, looking at the entire teaching service was presented and we had been in discussion with the relevant officials of the Government on that.
The Government, through the Minister of Education, recently made an announcement that Cabinet had approved for implementation a number of positions for the teaching service in the Government Secondary School.
The DAT, after several efforts finally met with the Chief personal Officer, (Ag), the Cabinet Secretary (Ag), the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education and the Chief education Officer(Ag) on Thursday July, 14, to seek some clarification on the pronouncement.
We were assured that while these changes will affect changes in the Government Secondary Schools in the first instance, Primary Schools and other stake holders in education will be addressed in the not too distant future.
The Dominica Association of Teachers would like to say to the Principals and teachers of the Primary Schools that we will be working feverishly to ensure that a similar revised structure
be formalized in the primary schools.
In the meantime, secondary schools teachers with the necessary qualifications and competences are urged to apply for the various positions now.
Mervin, before I saw your name, your picture spoke loudly. I am proud to know that the boy whom I taught in school when I was a teacher in Dominica, is now the President of the Dominica Association of Teachers. Blessing to you, my friends!