BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, May 1st 2014 (TUCOM):-Team Unity like the rest of the national community is quite disturbed by the prolonged delay by the illegitimate Douglas regime in resolving the real problems at the Basseterre High School. We are disturbed that the government is displaying an alarming incompetence while the health and safety of our students, teachers and auxiliary staff at the Basseterre High School are being compromised.
Our students and teachers have been experiencing dizziness, lethargy, tightness of the chest, sores in and around their mouth, skin irritations and respiratory problems. These are real suffering. These are not imaginary things as Minister Nigel Carty and Marcella Liburd accused. These are real problems inflicted on our students and teachers by an incompetent, illegitimate government that has lost its way. It is regrettable that our teachers and students have to go public with their health concerns to prove that the government was wrong on minimizing and trivializing their concerns.
No human being where his/her health is at risk ought to suffer the added emotional trauma, disrespect and abuse meted out to our teachers and students by the Minister of Education Nigel Carty and his colleagues in the Douglas led administration.
We note that this problem emerged in 2012. Nearly 2 years later the problem is unsolved due to the arrogance and incompetence of the Minister of Education and the maneuvering of a delusional Douglas regime.
The government is so caught up in spin, lies, propaganda and misinformation that it is fooling itself into believing that it can hide the truth of its uselessness in the face of the mounting challenges that our country faces.
Rather than invest in propaganda support the government needs to invest in the purveying of quality education and health care in safe environments. Our schools are crumbling and our hospitals are leaking and run down.
We commend our teachers and their Union for their heroic responses in the face of provocation, incompetence and arrogance from the Douglas regime. The reports of CARIRI have vindicated them in their efforts to receive safety at work. Principal Mrs. Carlene Morton has done yeoman’s service in keeping the school together in the face of abuse, disrespect and inaction by the government. We commend her competent leadership at the Basseterre High School and wish her God’s continuing grace and support as she labour in the vineyard of education.
We regret that abhominem attacks by the Douglas regime and its insensitive propagandists on the venerable President of the Teachers’ Union Mr. Ron Collins. Mr. Collins leadership has been professional and honourable and Mr. Collins has always put the best interests of his teachers, his students and our education sector first and foremost. We condemn Nigel Carty’s offensive remarks in which he accused our teachers of speaking out of their minds, imagining things as it were.
The tragedy of a government working against teachers caused several of our teachers and students to go public with their illnesses. It is deplorable that any government should put its workers through such a trauma. The tragedy becomes a travesty when such a government had its origins in labour support.
We as parents will protect our children at all cost. They are the future of St. Kitts and Nevis. I join the parents in the outrage over this health issue including the arrogant response of the government.
We of Team Unity are supportive of the stance taken by the PTA and Teachers Union to work cooperatively in the interest of our students and the education sector. We must not compromise on the health and safety of any one.
Health and safety at the workplace are now internationally accepted as a right. We in St. Kitts and Nevis must demand that our government albeit illegitimate government respect our teachers, students and our people. We demand that government stop dilly dally while our students’ education and health are being undermined.
Team Unity will bring a consultative approach to government and governance. We acknowledge that the input of our stakeholders like the Teachers Union, Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Evangelical Association, Christian Council and BAR Council will always be sought as part of the revitalizing brand of participatory democracy we wish to bring to our beloved country.
Team Unity pledges never to compromise on the health and education of our people. These are too vital for the shared prosperity of our people and our programme of people centered development.
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