Trade Unions: “New School Year Disastrous, Ministry Still On Holiday”

The Trade Unions of the education sector have branded the 2013 – 2014 new school year as “disastrous” saying it’s worse than last year’s on account of the resurgence of myriad of constraints and drawbacks faced by the education personnel as well as by many teachers and the pupils themselves.

The autonomous Trade Unions have deplored the lack of rigour and know-how by those in charge of preparing for the new academic year and alerted the national education ministerial department to these blatant shortcomings and deficiencies.

They enumerated to this effect the manifold problems still hampering adequate schooling in the primary, intermediate and secondary cycles with numerous pupils facing unacceptable conditions of study because of a lack of proper amenities.

A case in point is the lingering class-room overcrowding with up to 64 pupils being crammed in each class-rooms in many provinces of the country in addition to the anarchical transfers of teachers and pupils from one school to another in total contradiction with the regulations in force.

 In their bleak assessment report, the autonomous Unions also pointed to the glaring lack of pedagogical staff including teachers in such courses as mathematics and physics as well as vice- principals and education advisors in many run-down schools across the national territory.

The report also alerted the relevant authorities to the unlawful practices by certain school headmasters and headmistresses who don’t waver to follow the so-called “double- standard policy” by giving preferential treatment to some influential people seeking favours for their off- springs within certain educational facilities.

The autonomous Unions further urged the national education ministry to take remedial measures at the earliest possible time in the hope of salvaging the new academic year.