What is Barbados coming to when in the early years of the 21st century a small group of teachers can walk out of a school on the grounds that they do not like the head’s management style and his competence as an administrator?
What is even more scandalous is that government and trade unions are taking this rag bag of activists seriously and crippling the education of some of our brightest young people, the very future of Barbados. In the midst of all this our prime minister remains embarrassingly dumb, unable to even call a successful meeting of both sides.
Of course, the obvious action is to give the teachers a deadline to return to the classroom and start teaching the pupils, and set a date for serious discussions of their grievances. But it must be made clear in no uncertain terms that no matter what they think of the head’s management style, it is not a striking issue. We cannot replace one perceived sense of bullying with another, because one side is shouting louder than the other.
The crisis at the Alexandra School also exposes the inability of the minister of education to deliver on his duties, and the street-fighting bullying tactics of a small clique of trade unions. Those of us who are big supporters of and active trade unions can only look on in amazement as a major union, not involved in the silly show of strength at the school, has now thrown its considerable weight behind its sister union.
Now is the time, if ever there was a right time, for the government and parents to back the headmaster and show the unions the door. But it should be made clear to him that he is on probation and unless improvements be made – both in management and in exam results – then he will be out of a job.
However, the crisis is just a symptom, not a cause. The real cause is the declining state of Barbadian education and the poor quality of teachers, on the one hand, and the failure of government and the administrative class, on the other. If Barbadians want to test the quality of their secondary schools they only have to travel as far as St Lucia and visit St Joseph’s, the most successful affiliate of the Caribbean Examination Council, for an example of how a top school in a developing nation can perform. It may also explain why St Lucia is the only English-speaking Caribbean island to have two Nobel Laureates. Apart from the economy, the educational system is in urgent need of a complete overhaul.
We can start by raising the status of teachers by making it a graduate profession for all recruits and returning all those aged 45 and under to the class room for advanced training. They should also be offered salary increases and better career prospects, along with enhanced responsibilities for heads, including control of their profit and loss, hiring and firing, reporting to a board comprised of teachers, non-teaching staff, the local community, parents and secondary school pupils, with observer status for the ministry of education.
Along with this improved responsibility at a local level, the ministry should also have the right in an emergency to send in a flying squad of experienced teachers to take over in cases of failure. This improved status for teachers should also be accompanied by certain conditions, such as non-union membership, although the formation of a professional association focusing exclusively on standards should be encouraged.
The final test, however, should be a ten-year programme to raise the educational standards in Barbados to international levels, based on approved benchmarks, such as the international baccalaureate. It should also be accompanied by a widespread overhaul of the school structure, creating specialist schools for some disciplines and fast-tracking exceptional bright pupils.
As a small and relatively poor nation, despite claims to the contrary, the long-term future of Barbados lies in the quality of its human capital. We must not only return to the days when the quality of Barbadian education was unmatched in the Caribbean, but we must raise our game and produce school-leavers and graduates who can compete in a new digital world, which is borderless for its brightest and best. There is no real reason why Barbadians should not have a berth in Silicon Valley, alongside the best of the Singaporeans, Indians and Malaysians.
There is no reason why Barbadians should not be alongside the best high-tech engineers, alongside the Germans, Japanese and Chinese. There is no real reason why young people should not be entering secondary school already equipped with a foreign language and computer competence, which they acquired at nursery and primary school.
This bright future is partly in the hands of striking, gnarling, aggressive teachers picketing Alexandra School, rather than spending their time thinking of improving classroom standards. Instead of this, we have a so-called teaching union looking for a fight with the CXC authorities because he messed up and did not get his documentation in on time.
This, in a nation where 70 per cent of secondary school-leavers leave statutory education without any formal qualifications and, which the ever-expanding university is prepared to lower universally accepted standards by accepting practically semi-literate and under-qualified students as undergraduates. You just could not make it up. And, in the middle of all this, the prime minister has chosen to remain silent while what is best in Barbados declines almost to the level of the most primitive of nations.
Prime minister Stuart, in a most bizarre decision, announced from a church service that he planned to intervene in the Alexandra School crisis with the intention of bringing it to a ‘swift end’. If it was not so serious it would be funny. Maybe his interpretation of a swift end differs from that of all reasonable people. As prime minister he must give leadership by supporting his minister and head teacher. Rowdy trade unionism is not the way to run a nation’s educational system. The victims in all this are the children.
Industrial Relations:
The row at Alexandra School also exposes the wide gaps in industrial relations policy and legislation and it tries to rush through new legislation. There is quite clearly no proper conciliation mechanism to resolve these industrial conflicts, apart from strike action by workers and capitulation by managers. And, in a panic, the government is proposing the legalisation of industrial relations in a backward-looking and reactionary way.
One problem is that in a culture dominated by lawyers we have failed as a society to develop a legal consciousness, which explains the flaw at the heart of our legal and social policymaking. Yet, trade unions are a key part of the so-called Social Partnership, which some deluded people see as the governmental structure for small jurisdictions. Arbitration and conciliation should be written in to law as an industrial relations process all parties must go through before strike action or locking out.
Can courts bring about social change, or should be look to them as institutions of social change?
Analysis and Conclusion:
The challenge of education in the 21st century, no matter where one lives, is to nurture talent and close the gap between those who are naturally gifted, those who are well-taught and those whose ambitions and skills lie elsewhere. The key to unlocking this human capital is good teachers and first-rate teaching. Teachers are the guardians of our future. The economic crisis may be temporary, but the education of future generations will be with us forever.
But, as the Alexandra School crisis has shown, there is a level of obstinacy, arrogance and aggression coming from the BSTU that is offensive for an organisation which claims to be representing professionals, when it can even refuse to meet with the opposition. How we manage this is also part of the task of good government and policy-making. First, we must attract the brightest and best in to teaching by making it a profession with the same, if not a higher, status as lawyers and doctors.
This would be reflected not only in remuneration, opportunities for further study and societal recognition, but by raising the bar to entry. For example, teaching in a secondary school should be a graduate occupation. This is the one feature shared by all the leading nations which score high on international educational benchmarks, including Singapore, Finland and South Korea. All these nations recruit top graduates, develop their careers further, and battle to give them a lifelong career in education and part of their long-term strategic plans.
The action by the Alexandra School teachers is in many ways symptomatic of the failure and post-independence decline of Barbados. The one promise of independence was progress and prosperity, driven by equal educational opportunities. This promise has been broken at every level, from nursery to university, and scandalously so with Sir Hilary Beckles and his senior team building an empire in Cave Hill at the expense of ordinary Barbadian taxpayers, many of whom would never have the chance of entering a university. But the striking Alexandra School teachers take the biscuit. Their selfishness negates everything about teaching as a progressive discipline.
The silence of the wider society is also worrying. Where are the still active recently retired professionals who should be passing on their knowledge to this coming generation? Where are the aspiring and ambitious law undergraduates looking for experience who should be providing pro bono legal advice to the poor and underprivileged parents?
We are a society that has lost its moral compass, adrift in a sea of materialism and amorality. I have seen enough of this in Britain, from the so-called free sex and rock ‘n’ roll 1960s, to the greed and selfishness of the Thatcher years to the idiocy of the Blair years to the buffoonery of the Cameron years. Whereas the economic crisis will be resolve in a relatively short time, investments in our human capital, the most important of which is the coming generation, will last forever.
To allow our most precious gift is our talented young people and to waste it will be a grave sin. Ultimately, the crisis poses a number of questions about the maturity of Barbadian democracy and, in particular about the social responsibility, transformative justice, institutional limitations and the decaying Barbadian state. What those who really care about Barbados should worry about is that the so-called New Barbadians, the silent people in our midst, are quietly plotting to take control.
If they do, we will be marginalised like aboriginal peoples.
442 responses to “Notes From a Native Son: A Cautionary Tale Of An Education System In Decline, Alexandra Impasse The Symptom”
David; Unless the PM goes out of character and / or Broomes throws caution to the winds, stage 2 should be largely invisible and out of the public eye and will not unfold today. If it does unfold today in the sense that Broomes separation is announced today, I would have to commend the PM on the short term effects of his intervention. However, another aspect of a possible “unfolding” is that we might get some more details of the PM’s agreement with BSTU. Such a happening today is quite possible.
@ checkit
Do like the rest of us …Chill
The most important has been achieved, don’t you think….what happens to Broomes will happen..just let the kids get some education so that they can write in BU like we.
Hi old onion bags,
January 24, 2012 at 7:53
I have never felt inclined to “stifle” free speech because it is not what I want to hear. I was under the impression that on a “democratic” Blog people express different opinions. A Blog is not a choir, that is what makes it “interesting”.
@ PM
GRATIANO
A second Daniel, a Daniel, PM!
GRATIANO
A Daniel, still say I, a second Daniel!
I thank thee, PM, for stepping in and providing a way forward.
(amended speech fro Merchant of Venice)
@ Yardbroom
the operative word there is democratic….like you, I can say what I like..no feeling ..evabody dun kno we good!Shake dawg..
nice clean fun.
Thanks BU
To Blogger 2012:
That was only a shot across the bow, but in keeping with your family heritage I am am sure you would never learn. Behave your self and we shall not have to tango with words.
@ oninon et al
You must forgive me for taking a bigger national socio-political view of this situation. I’ve always known that this was more than being just about Broomes per se.
The PM deserves all due credit for getting the teachers to go back to work.
I will say though, that “how” will always supersede “why”, if why is not explained to the people that matter first. The BSTU’s and now the PMS’s “how” has left some gaps, particularly where Redman obviously is ignorant to the nuances of “quiet negotiation”. As a people we seem to be always interested in “what” but never “why.” A search for a “why” will forever bring greater enlightenment, satisfaction and a longer term vision.
Without vision the people perish.
Just observing.
@ Observing
Why not let the PM supersede all your perceptions of hows and whys and butts by just chillin ..and let due process take its course
You have already complemented the good man’s efforts ..soon you will be answered..Ok Bud ? you will be answered..
Just being reasonable
Remember who pays the salaries of the people involved in the mess.
We do.
Reacting with moral indignation …… well ….. just look in the mirror first and think.
Maybe FOI and ITAL could have been used to prevent this.
Maybe if we had FOI we could get more facts.
…. and maybe if it were possible to get more facts those we pay to act on our behalf would think longer and harder before acting to avoid being pulled over the coals.
Maybe we do have a role to play in ensuring something like this never happens again by raising our expectations and calling for a more accountable operation by the Government we elect and the Civil Service we employ.
What if we at some future date we could call for all the correspondence associated with this debacle?
Old Onion Bags;
This is too interesting, and perhaps even important, for me to chill out at this stage.
What I or any other blogger might say on this blog should be of very little interest to the combatants in this melodrama imho as to me, the blog is just taking the place of my verandah in a discourse with friends and with no larger axe to grind. I’ve felt from the first salvos of the BSTU’s action that we were seeing new ground breaking moves in the IR climate of Barbados that, handled with insensitivity, could spell danger to our future. The PM has now handled it with what I consider to be some insensitivity but, according to his own lights, successfully achieving his short term objective of getting the Children back to School. In achieving his goal he has taken a hammer to normal IR practice and established a precedent that really needs to be forced back into the pandora’s box from whence it came.
Observing;
I am totally with you. The PM deserves due credit for what he has achieved so far. As Bush Tea might say but in his own inimitable style, the PM has eminently achieved the first step in what would have been a normal strategy to end this conflict. He’s got the children back to school. But in doing so, he has big-upped the BSTU over and above anything they could have deserved and given them the go-ahead to follow the same strategy in their future conflicts. It seems that he has also capitulated to the BSTU demands without a full study of the possible repercussions. He has also apparently sanctioned a possible case of insubordination at that school and in so doing set a precedent for future instances of insubordinations throughout the Public sector in Barbados.
But I disagree with you in some of the details. I feel the “what” and the “why” are probably of equal importance in matters of this gravamen.
@onion bags
No one is answerable to me. Only the people and those they lead.
I have no perceptions. Only observations.
Such as “just chill”, “due process” and “reasonable.”
No matter how much my slip shows, it will always be the same colour, of the same length, and with the same lace design. Who gets to see it and when is another matter.
@ Observing and Checkit
Man all you does really make me laugh !
Orite den seeing that you two want to engage in alotta long talk..one in the verandah and the next believing he is Plato…
Engage…..I got to go down town and pay my light bill..
THINKING OUTSIDE THE CONSTRAINTS OF THE BOX
Just suppose we say the teachers complained about Mr. Broomes, they felt his method of communicating with staff was seriously flawed. They felt he was deficient in that departent and therefore had to go because the numbers were gainst him.
Suppose as an analogy, we say a large section complained about the Prime Minister and his method of interacting with the public. He was therefore deemed deficient in that regard because the numbers were against him….do you see where I am going.
There is a bigger picture here.
Yardbroom; I see and sympathise with you.
Time for Broomes to go! FULL STOP!
I will not rejoice at Broomes’s demise: I am not that type of person. I wish him well in whatever he tries next.
Prime Minister Freundel Stuart has once again confounded his critics. He has demonstrated statesmanlike behaviour. He has displayed a quiet dignity that lets you know who is boss without having to shout it for everyone to hear. You should recall how he handled the Redjet issue without fanfare. He is not a showman, but because this country has been accustomed to prime ministers who play to the gallery, he is being vilified. His handling of the Alexandra issue, is an example of how a good leader should behave. He gave his minister the responsibility to run his ministry, but when that minister failed, the PM moved in and took control, thereby showing how he expects the job should be done. Jones would do well to learn from Stuart’s statesmanship.
Another quality of Stuart is that he speaks when he has something to say. He is not stampeded by his detractors into making unnecessary public interventions. He assesses the situation carefully and then he does the right thing. I am almost certain that the PM is giving Jones the time to do the right thing before he has to.
If only from the fact that Jones did not act expeditiously on the investigative report, it is clear that his conduct, in this matter, has done discredit to the Ministry of Education, the Government, his party and himself. I am fairly confident that it will not be easy for him to quietly demit office, as it appears that he values high office above anything else, or he would have given up his role in the administration of football and concentrate on his ministerial role. He seems unable to manage his various responsibilities which means that he is doing them badly. He needs to be relieved of some, but Stuart can only relieve him of one.
Another interesting development, it appears that PM Stuart has won another convert in the person of Walter Maloney. He was one of Broomes’s handlers and that side embroiled the students in the affairs of adults, but now I have heard Maloney on the radio condemning that behaviour. This is no mean feat on the part of the PM: he has been able to get through Maloney’s thick skull, a feat that the teachers at Combermere were unable to accomplish. Or is it that the self-serving Maloney has thrown Broomes under the bus.
We assume they (politicians) are always right and know what they are doing but if we just used our common sense we would know we would never hire them to run our own businesses/organisations.
The politicians feed off our incorrct assumption and deference and can start to actually believe they know what they are doing.
That is what separates the politican from the statesman.
The statesman realises from day one that he does not have a clue and listens to those who do.
I hope Freundel continues to listen and others in the flock will follow suit.
This exercise was more about common sense than it was about the complicted protocols of Industrial Relations.
…. and about listening.
John
Your last comment was very profound. If others only knew how right you are.
David
The comments on this post are getting too long and I am getting trouble. Could you use my last comment as a New Post so that we can keep the discussion going?
David; Agree with Caswell that you should start a new discussion (blog) on the topic. Its now too long.
The new discussion could be something along the lines of: “Alexandra – The way forward”. You could probably provide links in the topic chapeau to the main resource documents: i.e. The Investigation report; The PM’s statement; etc.
Thanks guys, will craft a blog as soon as time allows.
For those of you who have a legit email entered you can reply to the blog from your mailbox as well.
The PM was acting in his capacity as a Lawyer, not a Mediator.
The plot deepens, from Mary Redmans “victory” speech, she indicated that as the P.M promised stage 2 will happen sooner rather than later . She also said the teachers have been marking SBA’s and working privately while still on strike to keep their students up to date, AND THAT THEY WILL CONTINUE TO DO THAT WHEN BROOMES IS GONE. From thosae remarks, a final decision has been promised to the BSTU, now the P.M either tricked the BSTU in returning to work,and that is a good thing, or he doesn’t know law. If and when this case goes as far as the CCJ if necessary, the Barbados government can find itself having to pay Mr Broomes a VERY LARGE payout for degrigation of character. We are not looking for winners or losers but if or when this happens this will be a nail in the DLP coffin and we might well see the BLP back in government for another 10 to 15 years. Alternaticely, if the P.M finds out he can’t get rid of Mr Broomes that easily, and the teachers at the school continues to disobey the principal and he has to deal with the matter not to their satisfaction , will they go on strike again and this time only the G G they will be willing to meet with. The P.M, in succeeding in getting the teachers back to work has dug a deep hole that only he is going to fit in. Can this government continue to pay out millions of dollars stupidly? money to Barrack, 3S, lagan, Myrie, Clico, and now Mr Broomes among others.Failing to pay our debts will only give us a worse international rating.
Max
The P.M could have only been acting in his capacity as a lawyer representing a particular client, then swiching as judge in the same case.
@The Scout
You are incorrect in your last comment. Redman made a comment to the effect that the teachers exercised the required discipline marking SBAs etc. Before Broomes came to AX and they will do it after he is gone.
I came on BU as I recall defending Prime Minister Stuart when he was criticised for not speaking to the electorate as often as some wished. And was accused of being a DLP supporter….that matters not but I find the situation here difficult to follow.
Mr.Broomes “alledged” that a direct order was refused as a result a teacher did not teach the class for a full year. The focus then turned did he or did he not write a letter of complaint to the Ministry as a follow -up. The original offence of refusing a direct order has evaporated in the ether…as if it does not matter, despite it being the incident that brought this matter to a head. The logic escapes me.
I will not rejoice at Broomes’s demise: I am not that type of person. I wish him well in whatever he tries next.
Caswell I share you view,…..fair thee well J Broomes TIME TO GO>>>…
Follow in the footsteps of your Dad….go and fish
Catch some brims . nin-nins, barbers and chubs and sell them to the brotheren club….bring a conga too them sweet
Yardbroom
Exactly my point, this gives other teachers from that or anyother school the RIGHT to disobey their principal. the other question remains unclear, tomorrow will she resume her non-teaching of that form or would she demand the form she wants? and who directs her what to do? I believe the MOE will have observers at the school as from tomorrow, if she refuses to teach the form given to her bu the principal, can or will the MOE observer intervine and instruct Mr Broome to give her the form she demands? If this happens this will strenghten Mr Broomes’ case of deminished responsibility. Obviously neither the P.M nor the MOE has enough or solid grounds to dismis Mr Broomes, it seems, by reading between the lines from Mary Redman, that the P.M has given the BSTU assuence that their demand will be met at stage 2. I think theP.M has put himself in a tight position and will have to find a way to get out. One of the ways is to call a general elections, if he wins, the BSTU would have to give him time to set up his new government, if he loses, the ball would be then in the new party’s court to play, and we have heard nothing from the BLP on this matter.
In case this matter is dragged on into the next general elections and the DLP loses the government, the new BLP administration is not committed to grant what P.M stuart had promise; there will have to be fresh negotiations. I’m sure the BLP administration will learn from Mr Stuart’s mistakes and deal with the matter differently. I also don’t think that Mary Redman will try the same strategy with Mr Arthur. If Mr Broomes is “seperated” now, he can put an injunction in court against his removal and this will open a whole new chapter in this soap opera. This matter is far from over, so neither side should be too happy yet. The main objective is the children will be taught once more.
@Yardbroom
everyone doesn’t follow logic nor do (can) they see the bigger picture for various reasons.
@Check it out
Noted re. “why” and “what” given the extent of the situation. We can meet you at that point.
@David
Redman’s comments were purposeful and pointed. Scout’s inference isn’t far off.
@John
agree with your sentiments. Why then do we always elect and exalt politicians rather than statesmen?
The BAPSS will be part of this matter, even if only to safeguard themselves from similar occurence; they have Mr Cecil McCarthy, who is a very thorough attorney, and Mr Broomes has Mr Vernon Smith, a very determined attorney. With or without the NUPW, the P.M and the MOE has a serious fight on their hands. The other thing is this matter has the possibily of once more splitting the DLP since Mr Smith is a senior member of the Smith clan that holds a lot of clout in the party. Once the student are continued to be taught, they can fight this one out in court. At the end I see Mr Broomes coming out with a handsome payout. The whole educational system needs revamping, never again should teacher be able to walk off their job willy-nilly. Policemen can’t do it nurses can’t do it , why should teachers be allowed to do it? Worse of all to be congratulated by the P.M for their behavior. Was Mr Stuart drugged?
Chez on breds
All ya still at it….I got to call Observer and Scout the future see-rs.
Them planting seeds…that is what it is…them not satisfied…so they planting seeds of discontent .
FLIPPIN D SCRIP:
If I did all dem teachers..I wud ask for transfers cuz if he ent gone ..we gine
Left he to do the same ting again ..and I telling you…HE WOULD BRING IT ON …because he cannot help.
old onion bags | January 24, 2012 at 4:12 PM |
If I did all dem teachers..I wud ask for transfers cuz if he ent gone ..we gine
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Not if they are the mature ones who understand their role in preserving and passing on the institutional memory.
I suspect they would die first.
If Solomon were to give them the Solomon test Solomon would quickly learn what Solomon has to do …… but I suspect Solomon already knows so Solomon won’t be going down that road.
Alexandra is after all an “older” secondary school.
It did not start here the other day.
It has been around for a while.
@john
My question go be short…are you one of those teachers ?
Only if you are..then you qualified to speak…no words could describe the horrors that they have gone thru….some of them took ill ..some still ill from the duress…..you aint know half of it…and you talking about
“preserving and passing on the institutional memory…..” ( outside D box)
which more important .(Solomon al et bull.)..or you health..get real dawg.
@ ac.
“And don’t forget that big whopper of a lie ” the letter ” the self serving letter he posted in the Nation stating that he had sent a copy to the MOE to the extent of calling his employers a liar ” .
Do not forget , ac , that it was the Chief Education Officer who called him a LIAR FIRST by categorically stating that the Ministry had received no letter of complaint from Broomes. In this regard Broomes has the responsibility of bringing the necessary evidence to refute the CEO’s charge or FOREVER HEREAFTER HOLD HIS PEACE. The ball is in his court.
In the meantime I shall continue my watch.
So in defending Freundel, Hal Gollop now says the issue is between the BSTU and their employers, NOT jeff broomes, for allowing the situation to go on. I’ll ask again, how many different positions and angles will we hear before this is said and done (teachers, Redman, Frost, now Gollop too)?
Prime Minister Stuart in his handling of this situation has again struck me as a man of principle and integrity, if not of flash, loud-mouthness, and long-talk. That probably won’t help him in a political environment, nor among his parliament colleagues some of whom seem to be cut from a different cloth. The Alexandra miniseries is not yet over, and I will wait for the next show.
@observing
it ain;t Freundel who got to defend his actions of yesterday. It is Jeff Broomes who is sitting on the hot seat and got to defend his actions of the past six yearsto His EMPLOYERS and i don’t think even HOudini call pull that one off.
Hi Scout
January 24, 2012 @ 3;41pm
I am pleased that you have seen the bigger picture. This proper request was met with “alleged” insubordination not an instantaneous reaction to a direct order, but a determined refusal over a long period of time, which makes it gross insubordination.
In any well run organization such conduct would never be tolerated. If that behaviour is allowed or seen to be tolerated there is trouble ahead.
The focus of Mr.Broomes’ main complaint has never been satisfactorily addressed. The situation changed from an “allegation” of him making a reasonable request to a member of staff to being accused of not writing a follow-up letter of complaint to the Ministry.
A multitude of strands “after that action” came into play to undermine him. Even allegations which it is thought had previously been addressed.
To compound this miscarriage issues were brought forward which occurred before he was appointed Principal of Alexandra School.
If there were any concerns about him they should have been considered before his appointment – or during interview – at Alexandra School. You cannot now retract to the beginning of his career and make accusations against him, that is not JUSTICE.
How can anybody praise the Prime Minister for simply capitulating to the BSTU’s unreasonable position?
He has completely undermined and made ridiculous his appointed Minister of Education, without having the balls to sack him.
He has not spoken to any of the substantive issues behind the dispute and appears to want it resolved behind closed doors.
Gollop on Starcom News kept talking about “getting the children back to school.” Errrrrrr….the children didn’t go anywhere – the teachers abandoned them (and are to be rewarded for it.)
The only positive that may come out of this whole idiotic affair is substantive and immediate reform of the way the public sector is managed. But not from this Prime Minister – immediate is not a word he understands. He moves glacially. Stage Two may be a long time in coming, Mary, and when you stuck it out for so long on this one single issue, he may yet make you look like an idiot.
Please continue comments HERE.