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National Parent-Teacher Association president Kevin David. –

PARENTS of schoolchildren have varying views on the TT Unified Teachers Association’s (TTUTA) continued protests about wage negotiations.

After recently rejecting an offer for a four per cent salary increase, TTUTA has been calling on Chief Personnel Officer Dr Daryl Dindial to meet to negotiate further – but he has not been responding.

This led to the first protest on day one of this school term (September 5) where teachers stayed home from work.

It continued on Thursday and teachers only came out to work for the second half of the day.

And TTUTA has since said there will be another on Monday (Budget Day) where members will stay home to “reflect on what a 2022 budget could mean on your 2014 salary.”

President of the National Parents Association (NPTA) Kevin David told Newsday he would not “throw words” for TTUTA. He said since parents are made aware of these disruptions in the education system, they can take extra steps to ensure children continue to learn despite this.

“All parents need to step out of their comfort zone and work together to reduce the factors that affect our children from receiving a proper education.”

Asked how TTUTA’s protests are affecting students, he said, “That’s the thing – it’s affecting them negatively.

He said there is no intention for the NPTA and TTUTA to “be against each other” and that such a narrative would be pushed if he were to directly comment on the association.

One father of a standard two student told Newsday while he understands TTUTA’s right to fair wages, “I do not understand why it has to be at the expense of innocent children.

“The disruption caused by these particular types of protests, coming on the heels of the disruption already caused by the pandemic, should have nothing to do with the students who are simply trying to get an education from an already disadvantaged school system.

“No one is saying forfeit your protests, simply find a way to do so without affecting the upcoming generation who never asked to be a part of any of this.”

A father of a standard four student said, “As a parent, I can empathise with the plight of teachers who, despite their tireless efforts to educate and nurture our children, are still battling crippling inflation on a salary that is seven years old.”

A mother of a standard two and form four student said, “Covid19 already took a hit on these kids. This will just make it worse.”

And the mother of a child in form six (upper) said it’s annoying.

“The people who least affect the salary negotiations – students – are feeling the biggest brunt of the protest actions. Unions need to find better and more innovative ways to protest without hurting the students,” she said.”

Another mother added, “I totally understand their plight, but the frequent absence from school is unacceptable, especially yesterday’s (Thursday’s) action with that half day s—.

“I am thinking they should at least hold out until after the budget, and then if nothing is done, they (are) free to act up again.”

One father whose child attends private school told Newsday he has friends and relatives who teach at public schools and “it’s not easy.

“It’s not about them just wanting more money so they can lime and galavant. There are basic things that schools need that some teachers have to dip into their own pockets to provide, and a livable wage is not too much to ask for.”

Another said, “Prices are rising and four per cent is a low increase, especially due to the amount of time that has passed since there last salary increase.

“I am not very political but honestly, I think across the country we are faced with the same circumstances. It is a good thing for the union to stand up and be successful to show that at least as a nation, we have a voice. I think that is positive and important so I support the move.”

One parent alerted Newsday to the Education Ministry’s website, saying the links to the primary school curriculum do not work.

“Therefore, parents can’t use that as a guide during all these rest and reflect days,” she said.

When Newsday visited that section of the website, an error screen popped up after clicking the curriculum.

It says, “This XML file does not appear to have any style information associated with it. The document tree is shown below.”

Newsday contacted Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly for a comment but all calls and messages went unanswered.

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INGEZONDEN Het bezoek van de Nederlandse premier Mark Rutte aan Suriname werd door staatshoofd Chandrikapersad Santokhi gebracht als een hoogtepunt

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REAL NEWS- With the new school year only three weeks old, parents and teachers – as well as students, themselves – are said to be angry and frustrated at the chaos reportedly created by the Ministry of Education.

According to both parents and teachers, there is a severe shortage of textbooks and a dearth of laptops in the government-secondary schools, and the situation is having a negative effect – especially on First Formers.

Sources in the Ministry tell REAL News that, with the distribution of E-books in earlier years, hard copies of textbooks had been routed to the private secondary schools. So now that the E-book scheme has been abandoned, the shortage of texts in the government schools is acute.

To make matters even more complicated for students, the source says, teachers refuse to use the content from the discarded E-books – “for whatever reason” – and have reverted to the “chalk and talk” method of instruction.

Incoming First-Formers are feeling the worst of the situation, a parent informs our News Room. Most of these students have neither textbooks nor laptops, a father says – which is making his

son’s transition from primary to secondary school “more difficult than it’s supposed to be.”

Investigations into the situation reveal that, while new laptops were sourced, their purchase and distribution by the donor could not be completed before the new school year opened. And at this time, reportedly, the Board of Education (BoE) has no idea when these devices will be delivered.

Other parents tell REAL News they were required to turn in their children’s laptops during the summer, so they could be upgraded by the BoE. However, these devices have not been re-issued to the students “even though we expected to get them before school reopened,” a mother of two complains.

She adds that she knows other parents who paid for repairs or replacement of damaged laptops – and their children, too, are still without the devices, she claims. “Out of pocket and out of laptop, too,” is how she describes the situation.

Meanwhile, she says, there are no explanations or answers from either BoE or Ministry of Education officials, and the principals can offer only “empty apologies.”

A Ministry source believes that parents need to “start making noise – especially after the children missed so much school during COVID.”

She is critical, too, of her boss, Education Minister Daryl Matthew, and says he must take responsibility for the lack of planning now in evidence. “It seems like he wants to repeat the poor academic performance we saw at CSEC this year,” she says.

A retired principal is expressing the same opinion, and she points to the recent review of the Caribbean nations’ education systems, noting that “poor Antigua and Barbuda didn’t even make it near the Top 10.”

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Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister, Gaston Browne, Friday called on the United Nations Security Council to live up to the ideals for which it had been established as he lamented the myriad of challenges confronting the global community, including climate change and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Browne, addressing the 77th session of the United Nations General assembly, said that nearly eight decades after its formation and a promise of peace and security “our peoples would have been right to expect greater achievement of global peace and prosperous development”.

But he told the international community that this has not happened and instead 77 years have passed with the promise of the leaders of the world’s big powers of saving succeeding generations from the scourge of war and promoting social progress and better standards of life, all but an illusion.

Browne said that the five victorious nations of the Second World War assigned to themselves, permanent membership of the UN Security Council, assuming responsibility to implement the promises of the Charter not only in their own interests, but also on behalf of the many nations, “which did not choose them, and which had no option but to trust them.

“It is a disappointment that small countries, such as mine, would be less than candid, less than honest, if we did not convey our sentiments to the permanent members of the Security Council. We are obliged to ask: What happened to the commitments, which were chiselled into the UN Charter, as binding obligations on all, but particularly those in the Security Council, who took to themselves the task of guardianship of peace and development?”

Browne said lest the global community has forgotten, he was taking the opportunity to remind of those commitments that included a need to “practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours, and to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security”.

But he said that today “our world is now gripped in a fearful atmosphere of economic and financial instability, and the worry of expanded warfare” with every country being confronted with escalating inflation, food shortages, high prices, and increasing debt.

“There should be no doubt, in this Assembly, that trust in the Security Council has been diminished by the actions taken within its membership,” Prime Minister Browne said, noting that many small “defenseless nations now feel gravely unprotected by the weakening of the international legal order, which was our first, last and only defense against aggression”.

He said even worse, the development prospects and the hard work of the small countries to rise up from poverty, are being retarded by the high prices and severe disruptions that began with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and that are being exacerbated by the war on Ukraine.

“Therefore…we call on the permanent members of the Security Council to recommit themselves to the role, which they assumed and pledged to safeguard. Peace must be restored for the world’s sake… and soon. It is the Permanent Members of the Security Council – all of them – which have that primary obligation.”

Browne warned that to abandon that obligation in the pursuit of selfish desires, legitimises the call for reform and an expansion of the Security Council.

He said concerted action by the Security Council is necessary to prevent major human rights violations, stop ongoing breaches and address global conflicts.

“If this fails to happen with the urgency that is required, it may call for the General Assembly to initiate its own global actions, and to authorize their implementation. I do not anticipate that this call for action by the General Assembly would be welcomed by the permanent members of the Security Council.”

The Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister said climate change is also a major issue confronting the global community , recalling last December, due to a veto cast by one of the five permanent members, the UN Security Council had to reject a draft resolution, framing the problem of climate change as a threat to international peace and security.

“That draft resolution was co-sponsored by 113 member states, representing the second highest number of countries to support a draft resolution in the history of the Security Council,” Browne said, asking whether it is fair that the evidence-based resolution, which emanated from the concerns and anxieties of so large a host of nations, should be vetoed by a single country?

“Climate Change remains the single greatest, common threat to all mankind. More so, for small island developing states (SIDS), which lack the financial resources to adapt to mortal shocks, and to rebuild in their aftermath, “ Browne said, adding that SIDS have a legitimate and urgent concern.

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The eighth Atlantic named storm of the 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season has formed- Tropical Storm Hermine- adding to the various systems already being monitored in the region.

The US National Hurricane Center (US NHC) in its 5 pm update said Hermine was located about 290 miles North East of the Cabo Verde islands.

Some strengthening is possible through tomorrow, with weakening expected on Sunday, and Hermine could become a remnant low on Monday. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 45 miles (75 km) from the centre.

Hermine is forecast to produce 2 to 4 inches (50 to 100 mm) of rain, with isolated totals of 6 inches (150 mm), over the Canary Islands through this weekend. This rainfall could cause some flash flooding in areas of higher terrain.

NHC Key Messages for Tropical Depression Nine

Tropical Depression Nine

The government of the Cayman Islands has issued a Hurricane Watch for the Cayman Islands, including Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac. The government of Jamaica has issued a Tropical Storm Watch for Jamaica.

The NHC in its 5 pm update said Tropical Depression Nine was located about 430 miles ESE of Kingston, Jamaica and about 930 miles SE of Havana, Cuba.

A westward motion is expected to begin tonight and continue through Saturday night, followed by a turn toward the northwest and north-northwest on Sunday and Monday. On the forecast track, the centre of the cyclone is forecast to move across the central Caribbean Sea through Saturday, pass south of Jamaica on Saturday night and Sunday, and approach the Cayman Islands on Sunday night and early Monday.

Hurricane Fiona

A powerful Fiona is expected to bring Hurricane conditions to Atlantic Canada tonight. At 5 pm, Fiona was located about 370 miles SSE of Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Fiona is moving toward the north-northeast near 40 mph (65 km/h). A slower north-northeast or northward motion is expected through Sunday. On the forecast track, the centre of Fiona will approach Nova Scotia later today, move across Nova Scotia and into the Gulf of St Lawrence on Saturday, and then across Labrador and over the Labrador Sea by late Sunday.

Tropical Storm Gaston

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Flores and Corvo in the western Azores, Faial, Pico, Sao Jorge, Graciosa and Terceira in the central Azores. On the forecast track, the centre of Gaston will move near or over portions of the Azores through early Saturday.

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