(Real News) – Parents are expressing concerns for the future of their school-aged children, some of whom have returned to the physical classroom.
A mother is complaining that there is no English teacher at the Antigua Grammar School now that Fourth and Fifth Formers have returned to class, while another parent says that math teachers are needed at the Princess Margaret School.
They were among the adults who called in to the radio stations and voiced their distress about the children’s educational future.
Parents are also complaining that on Friday, October 29, midterm exams will begin. And because of unreliable Internet services, they are worried about their children’s chances of passing.
One man says his daughter’s classes have been split, and so she gets online instruction only two days a week.
While the teacher shortage has been an issue from time immemorial, the situation appears to have worsened since the Government’s vaccination mandate.
Hence, with a number of teachers not returning to the classroom, the Cabinet has given instructions to hire 150 substitutes.
Earlier this week, United Progressive Party Senator Richard Lewis said there has been no upward movement in education since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, and the Ministry of Education appears not to have planned properly to meet the challenges.
