Published 30 August 2022
Basseterre
Buckie Got It St. Kitts and Nevis News Source
KEYNOTE SPEAKER URGES EDUCATION OFFICIALS TO ‘GIVE TEACHERS A NEW DEAL’
Basseterre: St. Kitts, Tuesday, August 30, 2022: Ministry of Education officials were
challenged to give teachers ‘A New Deal’ on Monday, August 29th, at the annual opening
ceremony of Summer Workshops for Teachers, held at the Rivers of Living Waters Christian
Centre.
Keynote Speaker and educator Ms. Micheliena Charles-Hazelle; speaking about care and the act
of caring noted that as teachers, caring for students takes precedence, however, it is imperative
that teachers also receive care.
“Teachers are not without the need for care. In order for us to make an honest and sustainable
investment in the outcome of our learners teachers need care. We have to care to give teachers a
New Deal”, she opined.
Ms. Charles- Hazelle noted that the success of students is determined by the success of teachers.
Thus teacher success is attached to the care they receive.
“We [ministry officials] have to care to balance the professional and personal expectations of our
teachers. Student success must equal teacher success. We must care to offer teachers a New
Deal; a New Deal that connects the teacher’s life success with the success of the students,” she
expressed.
Emphasising the need for teachers to receive a New Deal, Ms. Charles-Hazelle abbreviated the
word C.A.R.E to outline the manner in which the New Deal can be attained.
“What are the components of this New Deal that would offer teachers care? What are the
components of this New Deal?” reiterated Ms. Charles-Hazelle. “Community; teachers in
positive and strong communities lend support to each other. Attention; we [ministry officials]
need to give teachers attention. We need to give the work environment attention; not just the
resources of books but the space, the decent work agenda are required for us [teachers] to
function and to work well.”
Ms. Charles-Hazelle referencing the current issues facing teachers across the region and their
reactions expressed, “Respect; we must respect our colleagues throughout the region enough to
ally with them, because if you don’t care when your neighbour’s house is on fire soon yours will
be on fire and no water will be in the bucket.
She stated equity as the final component of the New Deal. “Equity; is important in the learning
agenda. If you want us [teachers] to differentiate and practice differentiated learning you must
tool us, give us the training that is necessary that we can provide equitable and quality education.
We need the statuses of teachers to become more equitable and as we are reforming education, we need teachers at the policy table. We need to be included. We
need equitable stations.”
Ms. Charles-Hazelle, further communicated that teachers should be a part of the decision making
process in education as they are the ones who transfer knowledge into tangible results [student
success].
Reinforcing that teachers deserve a New Deal, Ms. Charles-Hazelle reminded officials that: “in
order to mitigate against the penalties of the profession; in order to provide quality education we
[teachers] need C.A.R.E. Positive Communities; Attention; we need Respect and we need
measures of Equity within the system. Teachers deserve C.A.R.E”.
