BASSETERRE St. Kitts 10th April 2013 -- St. Kitts Teachers' Union 14th Biennial Conference was declared a resounding success! "Go Forward... Forging New Paths", was the theme that echoed throughout the University of the West Indies' Conference Room on Monday 8th April 2013 as conference teacher delegates and observers joined school stewards and outgoing executive members from throughout the island in celebrating their successes as an organization and chartering the course for the organization's upcoming biennium.
Professional trainer and former teacher the renowned and highly inspirational, Mr Douglas Wattley delivered the featured address and spoke passionately about changing the status-quo, realizing our collective strengths, addressing our short comings and having a vision and attaining our dreams.
Also present was the Labour Commissioner, Mr Spencer Amory who brought congratulatory remarks to the organization and offered his continued guidance and support. The conference also received messages of solidarity and fraternal greetings were read as received from the President of the Caribbean Union of Teachers, President of the Bahamas Union of Teachers and also from the President of the Dominica Association of Teachers
In the President's address, Ron Dublin-Collins, confirmed that "The S.K.T.U has inspired us as professionals to not only provide school communities with academic excellence, but also to facilitate a sustained change in the quality of life."
President Collins challenge the educators present to remain vigilant and united and stay in the forefront of education advocacy and reform in St Kitts. He spoke of the need to continue to seek to formulate a true partnership with all stakeholders. He advised the conference that top-down, dictatorial mandates from administrators are a prescription for failure in education. But called for and emphasized the importance of dialogue and collaboration.
The very productive and active biennium, 2011-2013, was chronicled in the General Secretary's report as presented by Carlene Henry-Morton. Other S.K.T.U representatives tabled the following reports: the S.K.T.U work in Gender Affairs, T.V.E.T Counsel Report, Caribbean Union of Teachers'Track & Field Championship, and the CARIRI Report on the Indoor Air Quality Assessment at Basseterre High School. The old constitution was repealed and a new constitution was adopted.
A new team of educators were elected to continue the work of the Union and further improve the organization's dynamism forging new paths and it advances. Re-elected were President Ron Dublin-Collins, 1st Vice President Valarie Richardson-Mason, Mrs Michelle Rochester-Woodley as 2nd Vice President and Mrs Andrea Browne as Treasurer.
Newly elected officers are Ms Clair Ottley as Public Relations Officer, Trustees Dale Phipps, Andrea Henry and Octavia Bridgewater The appointed posts of General Secretary remain the same with Mrs Carlene Henry-Morton. The Deputy General Secretary is Mrs Nadia Natta-Francis while Members at Large are Anthony Wiltshire and Muriel Powell.
Going forward, the St. Kitts Teachers' Union has numerous plans and programs to implement; the top four plans being: the establishment of the St. Kitts Teachers' Credit Union Cooperative Society, the construction of the Union's Headquarters, the implementation of the National Collective Bargaining Agreement for Teachers and Education workers and the Career Path.
In his final comments, President Collins charged the delegates by these resounding words, "We must go forward amidst the challenges; we must now forge new paths, to ensure that our objectives are met. Let us use all the available resources, let us build on the past and let us move together into the future.
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