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St. Maarten Academy Teachers meet with Union on School’s Fingerprinting Machine.

celshot21062012Philipsburg:--- President of the Windward Islands Teachers Union (WITU) Claire Elshot told reporters during the Windward Islands Chamber of Labour Unions' weekly press briefing on Thursday that she met with some teachers of the St. Maarten Academy to further discuss their frustration of the finger printing machine that was installed at the school earlier this school year.
Elshot said that the teachers of that institution who are members of the WITU are very concerned about their information getting in the wrong hands and places. Elshot further explained that she is of the opinion that something is wrong with the school's administration because in her view, it is impossible for any teacher to forge their signing in form.
Elshot said she is now seeking the intervention of the labour mediator because the WITU held several meetings with the board and to date they are not able to resolve the matter. She said the teachers of St. Maarten Academy are being threatened by the school board.
When asked by SMN News if she believes that students should have a teacher in the classroom and under what basis these teachers were hired, Elshot said that teachers are facilitators to the students and they don't necessarily have to be in front of the classroom. She admitted that the teachers were hired as subject teachers and are required to be in school from 7:30am to 3:30pm. Elshot said that teachers do not have to be in school to do their preparation or marking of papers. She said that the schools are not safe and lack proper materials as required by law. Elshot further stated that if an inspection is conducted then many schools on St. Maarten would have to be closed. When asked if the union is concerned about the teachers' absenteeism, Elshot said that education has gone through a number of innovations. Therefore, the students have to use other resources available to them to gain knowledge.

Unqualified Teachers.


The WITU President also expressed frustration about the term used by the labour and education Ministry to classify teachers as unqualified when they have been teaching on the island for years.
Elshot said several teachers who are now told that they are unqualified contacted USM to see if they can participate in courses to upgrade their skills and they were told that the degrees the teachers already have are way higher than what USM offers. Elshot said that she believes that if teachers are evaluated and it is determined that they need further training then the school boards or government should provide the extra training that will bring them up to par.
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