Chief Education Officer Stephenson Hyacinth has spoken against high levels of inefficiency within the education system here and has assured that his ministry will not tolerate such.
Hyacinth, who addressed awardees of the Excellence in Teaching Awards ceremony at Arawak House of Culture Wednesday, urged those who received awards to advise other teachers who have been complacent and lacks commitment to find another profession.
“Maybe you could advise them by saying to stop wasting our children’s time and go and find something else to do,” he said.
“The education system cannot tolerate, and will not tolerate teachers who demonstrate a high level of inefficiency… we celebrate excellence,” Hyacinth said.
He commended teachers who have made valid contributions by making a difference in the lives of children on the island.
“… where the contribution is valid, we appreciate the things you do. As good teachers your are touching lives and truly making a difference. You hold the torch of excellence in your hands. Pass it onto your friends and never allow your flame to die. Hold onto the desire to be good at whatever you do,” Hyacinth said.
– By DNO Correspondent
Can anybody tell me how much they pay a teacher in a month?????
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
less than 2500 if you are unqualified and not everyone gets that
teachers are human they have feelings and can react to critizeses.so after these comments i hope the ceo and the entire meo gets better educations how many of them find out what is going on in schools. they come and pass around school not even asking one question to one teacher and go back to ministery and make teachers look like fools.teaching is avery hard road to travel. mr. ceo how many days do you have to feed some child who came to school without breakfast? get a life universal secondary has just bring out the reality of dominica what is there has always been there. those who do bad at school has inherited it so give teachers abreak .you see the number of teachers dying with canser as a result of the stress they are going throuhg. dominica will stay without teachersw one of these days MARK MY WORDS.
YOU WILL BE SUPRISE THE TEACHERS WHO RECIEVED THE AWARDS DO NOT WORK HARDER THAN THOSE THAT DID NOT GET. SOME OF THEM ARE JUST FORTUNATE TO HAVE PRINCIPALS THA T LOVE THEM OR JUST LIKE TO BE UNFAIR THE SAME GOES FOR THE NATIONAL ASSESSMENT RESULTS.
HAVE PUPILS DO THEIR ASSESSMENTS AWAY FROM SCHOOL AND LETS SEE THE REAL RESULTS, THE GRADE SIX NATIONAL ASSESSMENTS SHOW A TRUE PICTURE MORE THAN ANY OTHER RESULTS READ BETWEEN THE LINES.SOME TEACHERS ARE JUST TOO HONEST WHY THEIR SCHOOL ARE LOOKED AT AS POOR PERFORMING SCHOOLS.GOOD LUCK SIR KEEP CRITIZING TEACHERS
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@ big so.the principals did not choose the teachers.there were set criteri the teachers had to meet.and furthermore,education officials had to visit these teachers and interview co-workers ,students and parents.get your facts straight.and by the way…they were the cream of the crop.leave with it.this is not the queen or calypso show.
Don’t children always learn what they live and live what they learn?
To Sandra: Whoever you are my dear friend, you should be disciplined enough to let all views contend.You still have not made a contribution to the issue at hand,but you seem to be giving support to statements made by a man who is in a position to help by putting programmes in place which will help the teacher to deliver quality lessons.Do you know in Dominica some teachers still buy school essentials with their own money? They still buy stationery for students,they still provide them with money to buy break,with money to pay for the bus,with lunch money, etc etc.People like you need to listen in order that you learn.That’s why you are endowed with 2ears my friend. Teachers are the hardest set of workers in this country especially those who labour at USE schools.I should also add that they work for a mere pittance..Don’t try to fool the teachers.You can’t. They can’t eat “vocation” or “commitment” when they are hungry. That’s why i concur with those who believe that they should be paid for their efforts and not be used as scapegoats.
i concur with your comments to sandra
I would like to know under what conditions or evaluations that Mr. Hyacinth came up with
Saying “Teachers are wasting Children’s Time.”
Is it that teachers report in late too often?
Teachers do not do their work preparation?
They always calling in sick?
Their schools fall in the low grade passes?
They are out of sight before 1:00 pm , or 3:30pm?
Teachers don’t agree with their supervisors?
IF THESE ARE THE CASES, THE SUPERVISORS ARE WASTING MINISTRY TIME
THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE.
I so agree with You but I think that Mr.Hyacinth is quite aware of the “laisaifaire” attitudes of some of these teachers.
Being late, always negative or not participating in meetings,irresponsible behaviors, bringing home issues into their classrooms to name a few.
Teaching is the most important profession in my opinion but nowadays those teachers that have bad attitudes both in and out of the classroom sickens me at the core and something needs to be done about them.
He know knows, no I think it’s time He takes action and put an end to this foolishness, the children are the future.
You know its ashame when you have to read the views of some people like Fairplay, Efren Ravariere, Anomynous, Jet, Your and Dubiqois. Statements made by these can only show that they leave the upbrining of their children to outsiders. According to the little calypsonian from Portsmouth even we adults need to “Read a Book” to educate ourselves, because we only make statements because DNO provide the forum for it and we all have our democartic right to speak.
Some teachers are in the system playing economics with the children. If your are teaching because you cannot get your dream job it is bad. So people like those I named above should listen to the man speech carefully before making statements. Thise teachers not helping the system at all.
The man is right. MOE keep up the good work. If you are in the sytem wasting people’s time leave and go.
Hey Sandra,
With all due respect to you, I think you need to read my comments again. What I have stated, and the questions I asked, are the basic framework of how issues are addressed, resolved, and maintained.
As to the extent of my education, and reading a book to educate myself, I am proud to say that I am a product of Dominica’s educational system of years gone by; and I was fortunate enough to reach at the pinnacle of the academic realm at one of the best universities in the world. Also, most of my education was not found in text books. I have the field and practical experience to make tangible contributions – and I do so on a daily basis. If only you knew…………………..
Here is a question for you: Do you think that the right structures (personnel, resources, academic programs,etc) were strategically put in place in order to successfully implement universal education in Dominica?
Universal Sec Education is a big failure under Mr Hyacinth as Chief Education Officer.He needs to address this and stop using poor teachers as scapegoats.
I once taught at home and am in tune with the education system.
I must say congratulations to the teachers who received awards.
However i think that Mr. Hyacinth is trying to pass blame on the teachers when it should be directed at the system and inefficient ministry that runs it. For example taking out a system that worked and putting in Universal secondary education in place and not having a comprehensive ciriculum to deal with the kids who are obviously not into the academics. There is music, art, technical skill etc. I never seen any of these things in my years at school.
I would like to hear from him positive plans put in place to help make these teachers more efficient.
Mr. Hyacinth, I concur that we have inefficient teachers in the system. The question is who placed them there? Many of them are political or “pull string positions” and they are the ones who do not perform and are quick to say “I know who I vote for”. Are you willing to get rid of them despite the political fall out? When we have leadership in the Ministry of Education who are willing to stand up and show some professional ethics and kick these people out of the school system then we can move ahead.
We also need to examine the so called teaching that goes on at the State College. When the training of teachers was solely the responsibility of the the Dominica Teachers Training College there was a much more efficient teaching force, now sad to say the present program being administered at the State College does not afford teacher trainers the opportunity to receive the excellent training myself and many others received at DTTC.
Many of our qualified teachers are leaving and going to greener pastures. Why because the government does not or has not seen it fit to compensate our teachers in a manner that makes them feel that they are worth it. Many say that teaching is a vocation. I agree but it should be a well paid one.
I wonder why you do not say the same for the DEO’s who you are responsible for and who you know are NOT doing their work…Come better than that Mr Chief.The blame for wasting students time should not be leveled only at the doorstep of teachers.Just go to the north and you will know what I am talking about.
HYACINTH NEED TO HUSH HIS MOUTH AND GET TO THE SCHOOLS AND CLASS
ROOMS TO OBERVE TEACHERS ON DUTY.
98 % OF TEACHERS ARE HARD WORKING PEOPLE, WE HAVE ARE FEW LAZY ONES.
JUST AS IN THE MINISTRIES, POLICE FORCE AND OTHER PLACES, LAZY ONES TOO!
STOP BLAMINIG TEACHERS FOR STUDENTS SHORT COMING.
IS THE AMERICAN AND BRITISH SYSTEMS YOU ALL WANT TO ADOPT.
BLAME ALL YOU EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM.
it wwas about time…….our teachers making us have a negative thinking of education(they make it boring)
I think you need to chill for a while, you are such a negative person,,commenting on every article. Obviously u know a few more words than the average person,,,, but your spirit needs more help. Chill man,,, you comments too negative. Depressing!
With all due respect, my comments are not negative, they are probing. Much too often, we swallow and digest rhetoric, and then years go by, and nothing comes to fruition.
The questions I have asked are legitimate.
Why are we so afraid to look below the surface and question our leaders?
I will say it again: It is not the teachers responsibility to evaluate or criticize their colleagues. They have enough on their plate already.
Just because I am not conforming to Mr. Hyacinth’s remarks does not make my comments negative.
Hyacinth once you said that every child can go through the same high school you should not be surprised at the performance in the schools now. There are unproductive teachers whom you know but when they are reported what do you do as the HEAD. ask yourself the question first and we know why they will continue. HATS OFF TO THE HARDWORKING TEACHERS. We as parents will rally with you. this is why we prefer our children to be with certain teachers.So DON’T TALK BUT ACT as the chief officer.
Here we go again. Bon Dieu, the sooner parents start taking responsiblity for their children the better things will become. How the hell you going to expect a child to respect you, when they don’t respect their parents. All teachers know that….they(the parent/s) come to get report book.
teacher: Mam, this is how you child behaves,…this is his attitude,
Parent: is the same thing he/she doing at home.
What you expect us then to be able to do for your child.
Some parents know their children suffering from certain ailments….like adhd, yes we have a lot of cases in our school system, not even the “qualified counselors” know how to deal with them. Some parents know, they know, they know, their child suffering because the doctor made the diagnosis and they send to school for you un medicated. What you supposed to do with a child like that.
so before all you play blame game, i suggest MOE go into every home on the island and give the parents a lecture. Because let me tell you, as a very good teacher, the parents need that speech more than us.
The teacher is not a miracle maker.The problem runs deeper.What is the role of the home/family.Many of these children have no parents or absentee parents,some of these children sometines come to school without breakfast,cause both mummy and daddy are unemployed and can’t make ends meet,and off course some children come to school only to cause trouble and to disrupt the system.DID YOU KNOW THAT SIR?
i agree with ur statement mr.Hiacinth but at the same time all the blame for children not learning in school should not be placed solely on the teachers..First of all learning begins at home..too many times parents just send their children to school and expect the teachers to do everything for the children..Parents help ur children with their homework, even if u cant help them find somebody to help them or atleast show interest..give encouragement..
Another important point many times teachers ask children to bring materials for certain lessons and more than half of the class don’t bring the materials..All these things keep the classroom behind..
Some of the kids nowadays are so rude and disrespectful..
Anyways i have to go i will finish my point another time
Great speech by Mr. Hyacinth, but the problem is far greater that his advice. Education and learning are personal goals that require constant incubation by parents and guardians. The art of learning is a life long process, and teachers play a small but significant role.
Furthermore, students who are disciplined with heavy parental involvement and those who are goal oriented will always outperform those students who originate from broken homes where education is viewed as daily task, versus a life long career path to upward mobility and success.
TALK ! TALK! TALK!
The teachers work harder than you and recieve less money than you.No wonder male teachers are leaving in droves..Talk is what some people can do best.
Mr Hyacinth i guess you were trying to impress.Why you can’t talk about the 5cents are recieving after having to toil their —-off every month.why can’t you talk about the failed Universal Secondary Programme which is in a total mess.Why can’t you talk about policemen having to be called to schools ever so often because many youths of today are lacking God in their lives so marijuana and promiscuity have taken over.
I know several teachers who are working extremely hard,but the support be it from govt,the home,the society,the principal is not forth coming.PAY THE TEACHERS!!!
students shouldn’t waste teachers time. Your child will only learn to the amount you the parents or in many cases in Dominica, you the mother/grandmother pus them. Cause you know those baby daddies in DA are useless.
Yes there are many bad teachers in the system but there are also many bad ass kids who hadly get disciplined at home anymore. Take responsibilyt for your childrens learning.
School isn’t there to nanny or take care of your children you are suppose teach and the school reinforces. Somehow that concept got lost in DA!
well said steve big up my old teacher
i find u all take time too say that . thanxs god for people like u sir
I congratulate those who were awarded. Good job.
I respectfully disagree with Mr. Hyancinth’s approach in addressing mediocre teachers. It is not the responsibility of one teacher to advise another to stop teaching and find something else to do.
I am sure it was a great motivational speech, because it needed to be said. However, some of the questions really are: What is being done to address the issue of gross incompetence in our educational system? Who sets the standards? Who monitors and measures the standards? What interim processes are in place to remedy subpar performances? What is the standard deviation? What measures are in place to prevent uncertified teachers from being recruited? How are teachers evaluated, and how often? How do we measure standards of excellence? How do we continue to motivate and keep good teachers? Giving an award may not motivate all the good teachers.
I do not intend to be a stick in the mud. However, much too often, great speeches carry very little weight. I would rather see substantive answers to everyday problems, than a speech that is only meant to motivate a crowd…………..with all due respect.
Well done Mr. Hyacinth and congratulations to the teachers who receive the awards. The same message needs to be sent to our sports officers who have for years shake their chest and act like they are doing something. A system of accountability should be implemented in our school system so that reward great teachers and get rid of bad teachers.
who so, never like so
Good Job cousin
teaching is a real joy, congratulations to all those who love it and thus excel at doing it..
Manno (Stevenson), if the system still exists, at home, where someone is given a teaching job, based on family background or political affiliation, what we’ll find is that there shall forever be so called unqualified people in our classroom, getting paid in spite of their inefficencies.
There was a time in Dominica, as long as someone made it through the seventh grade, or as we knew it then as ” Standard Seven ” after that person completed elementary in standard seven, they were sometimes recruited to teach.
Half of those seventh grade teachers, when EO’s(Education Offers) such as the W. S. Stevens, or the late Belgrave would give them a simple test they would fail the test.
I remember, some were sent to the Leeward Islands Teacher’s Training College in Antigua, for training, and even then they failed their examination.
The shocking thing is that these days, our people seem to be more educated, and it is sort of a mystery to learn that some of our educators are inefficient in the performance of their duties!
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque(Son).
It is high time someone said those words to those people who simply wait on a paycheck every month end and leave our children holding the short end of the stick. Too many times you see teachers laughing with students like they are their friends when they should be instilling in them that they should respect those in authority regardless if they are in the same age group. And perhaps Mr. Hyacinth, the onus should be placed on the MOE to properly acclimatize teachers for the classroom. Get them proper training like the Teachers’ College used to and have senior officials of the Ministry evaluate them REGULARLY in practice before leaving them on their own to teach our future.
I agree with you Mr.Hyacinth, teachers should not waste students time.
BUT………MINISTRY must not waste Teachers time!!!
Some schools are not well equiped to face the challenges of Universal Sec Education.
And dont talk about the stagnant salaries!!!! Teaching without any rewards, every one getting well qualified with degrees and etc and only people like you getting paid for yr degree, like teachers dont matter…………………………..so think twice before you jump on teachers
you sound like one of those teachers that are wasting students time or maybe you have a relative that is a teacher that is wasting students time
Sarfire, it is not my intention to monopolize this forum, nonetheless, I need to draw to your attention that prior to one accepting an employment position, they are informed of how much the job pays. They are aware of how much they will earn, weekly, forth-nightly, monthly, and calculating that times twelve, they become aware of what their annual income will be.
Base on this fact, they are left with two options!
.Option number one they can accept the job and the salary that goes along with it.
.Option number two, the prospective employee can decline the position, and walk away if they
conclude that the salary is too small, or insufficient.
Whowever, once the person accepts the employment and the salary offered, if they are employed to perform a forty hour work week, one would expect that person to perform to the best of their ability, one would anticipate that they would be dedicated to their duty, and perform to the fullest, and not hold back their performance because they consider the salary to be insufficient.
Assuming that the person discovered that the work load is too much for the pay they receive, if they are employed in the private sector, it would be quite easy to negotiate an increase in pay with their employer.
A teacher or civil servant dose not have that privilege, since their salaries are sort of structured, and can only be increased under certain structural arrangements, perhaps once every five or ten years, and that depends on the economy of the country, and governmental budgetary arrangements.
In the days, of St. Ford Hyacinth, (Manno’s) dad, people like him and the late W. S. Stevens, Belgrave Robinson, and even the still alive Meshach Linton, (that’s Lennox Linton father); who incidentally is the Nephew of Hyacinth grandmother, such educational geniuses were dedicated to the purpose they served.
They were teaching professionals, who worked for less than a hundred dollars per month. The average salary of a participial in their early days was approximately ninety-six ($96.00) dollars per month, a subordinate would earn about $60.00 or less per month, I remember one female from Wesley who’s monthly salary was thirty-six ( $36.00) dollars, earning her a meager $432 dollars over a twelve month period.
Life then was hard, and very rough, yet they took their responsibilities seriously, and performed, and because of their dedication, Dominica has produced some of the most educated people in the region. As a result you can find Dominican in every connor of the Caribbean, though very old who assigned positions on those islands by the British, during the colonial days.
We exported brain at one time in our history!
So, to complain that there is no incentive in order to stimulate productivity, will not hold water.
Someone said that the male teachers are leaving Dominica in groves, or whatever that is, if they are coming to the United States, or migrating to Canada, or the United Kingdom, that does not mean they will be employed as teachers.
In the first place before anyone can become a teacher in America, you have to earn your teaching credentials, this means one cannot teach in America without four years in some University, or four year collage.
And one need to realize that the maximum starting salary is approximately $20,000.00 per month, and be informed that when school is out on holidays, teachers are not paid.
Okay!
Whereas in Dominica, they are paid for Christmas, and summer holidays, and even boss dog holiday’s if there is such a thing.
I believe if some teacher in Dominica believes that the pay is a hindrance in their performance, the honest thing to do is quit the job!
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
DNO please afford me the opportunity to correct some errors in my last submission:
Note: it should read the starting salary is approximately twenty ( $20,000.00) dollars per year, or $1,666.66 per mouth, and that’s why we find some teachers have to find a second job to make ends meet,
Secondly, I wanted to state ” whereas, teachers are paid for all holidays in Dominica, even over the summer holidays, in America, teachers are not paid for any holidays such as Christmas, nor the summer holidays
(The average salary of a participial:
The above should read ” the average salary of a principal.
I think I sound like an idiot in that last one!
Note that I am not a teacher and do not have close relatives who are teachers but i sympathize with all teachers. I believe that they play an important role in society. They have to be mothers, fathers, police, doctor (you just name it) to our kids on a daily basis. I firmly believe that they should be rewarded fairly, they should have a salary that reflect their work!!!! For so long they getting the same pay, come on people have a conscience. They have families to feed just like you and me and the pressure in the jobs is much more.
The who feels it knows it theory has very little merit , before and now is not the same. The quality of students is not the same………. is it??? And if teaching was so sweet why all the teachers of before left it to go on to other jobs??
I am not making excuses for teachers… oh no!! because I know some teachers who do waste students time,,,,,,,,but not all of them do. We need to work with teachers and stop bashing them. We need to appreciate them. I have no kids but I appreciate all my past teachers and I am will praise and not bring them down.
You say if the do not want the job they should leave it……really?? I think otherwise. Teachers are not beggars. So what you saying they have to take what ever they get???
I see how unfair and inconsiderate Dominicans can be to each other.
It amazes me how many Dominicans want an International airport, they want better roads and other infrastructure, the want better equipment for the police and at the hospital, they want beter equipment at the high schools, they want this and they want that. Fine! There is nothing wrong in yearning after good things and always striving to improve the general circumstances of the community and island, but we seem to forget that we are working with one of the smallest economies in the world. The limited revenue which is accumulated annually cannot magically increase to do all that we want done immideately like how God multiplied the loves and fish to feed a multitude. Everything takes time, and we have to keep the old say in mind -‘Rome was not built in a day’- as we try to maximise the value of the national revenue to take care of the MOST URGENT issues first. I am sure that Government is aware of the need to improve some of the high schools, and I am also certain that they would like to address that situation immideately, but remember that there are always other urgent issues present and not only the ones that affect us the most.
Guess this will never stop,since teaching is not attracting the very committed,neither the very brilliant minds.This job is too stressful.
Sorry but i assume you have never taught a class of fifth graders or any other classroom. As a former teacher i can tell you there is joy and satisfaction in teaching. The gentleman is quite right. There are too many people in the system who are not committed to the educational well being of their students. ON the other hand parents MUST take a deeper interest in their childrens education.
@ yes…i am a teacher i am very committed and very,very brilliant and their are alot of us.so becareful of your generalization.
am rather disappointed in the statement made….we have too consider the situation in which teachers are place and not motivated in any way to move forward…..the security, equipments, and good working environment for leaning is missing
Anonymous: We should be careful not to make excesses for those among our people who are incompetent, and inefficient; to blame the circumstances under which they function as teachers is a very, very, poor excuses indeed.
When I went to school as a kid in Wesley, it was very bad, we did not have the opportunity to own textbooks, the teachers had the only textbooks, and taught from them. What was written on the blackboard, some of us who could not afford exercise books, wrote on slates, provided by the British Government.
We would go out on the Campus ( the school yard, as we called it), for lectures, and had to actually memorized what we were taught, we would do an exam on the subject a week, or so later, of which 99% of the class would sweep through; pass without difficulties, and so I credit the efficiencies of the teachers of that day for our success.
With the lack of teaching materials, the teachers ” made do” with what we had.
Hyacinth, father was one of those teachers, he taught me in Wesley for a very short period, he also found time to be the Scout Master, of our village, of which I was also a member.
Teachers joked and laugh with their students, however, we lack no respect for our teachers.
In the process, and under the condition the teachers functioned then was 180% worst off than it is right now.
We, the children of my village learn, as a result, when I left Wesley, I was capable of pursuing higher learning, thus becoming an Electronic/Electrical engineer. The discipline I obtained from those who taught in my elementary days caused me to be what I am, and all I have accomplished.
Hyacinth himself is from that era, and time, and that is why he can make such comments, for as the saying goes ” he who feels it knows it.”
And to Stevenson, I say congratulation, you are someone I can regard as setting a excellent example, I can boast that considering that I know your background, as we are from the same stock. Indeed you may not quite remember me, but your Grandmother, is my biological aunt, and my grandmother by father is also your aunt.
Keep up your good work, you have served our people, and country well!
Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque (Son)
Well said Mr. Hyacinth!