A total of 416 teachers will be appointed to the teaching service across the nursery and primary school system by the end of September.

In addition, a further 239 posts will be created when the new Public Service Teachers Order 2015 is laid in Parliament by yearend.

This was disclosed today by Minister of Education, Ronald Jones, during a press conference this morning at Parliament Building. He also noted that the 416 posts were advertised to fill the vacancies in 2013.

???The issue of teachers has been one where there has been some anxiety over time, particularly in the wake of the slight reduction in the number of persons who were attached to the public service of Barbados. I know the unions themselves were anxious that there might have been some reduction in numbers. I am pleased to note that there has been no reduction (in teaching posts) over the last two years,??? he stated.

He explained that under the 1999 Public Service Teachers Order, there were 2, 564 established teaching posts, of which 1, 172 were assigned to the secondary schools and 1, 392 to the primary and nursery schools.

The 416 upcoming appointments, he explained, would fall under the existing 1999 Public Service Teachers Order, while there will be an additional 239, when the Public Service Teachers Order 2015 is laid and dealt with in Parliament. This, the Minister said, will bring the number of established teaching posts in the primary and nursery schools from 1, 392, to 1, 631.

In addition, Mr. Jones pointed out that under the new Order, 52 supernumerary posts would be established. He explained these posts catered to those persons who were in the Public Service when the new Public Service Act was passed in Parliament in 2007, but were not appointed because there were not enough posts.

???There are some 52 teachers in the primary schools and 11 in the secondary schools who would be in those supernumerary posts,??? he said, noting however, these posts would be phased out overtime.

Meanwhile, regarding secondary schools, Mr. Jones said the exercise was an ongoing one which saw 89 secondary school teachers being appointed to established posts recently.?????I would hope that this great work would now put an end to the agitation, [that] it will now put an end to information that in many instances was based upon an incorrect premise???,??? the Minister stated.

julia.rawlins-bentham@barbados.gov.bb

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