Education
Ministry of Education Issues Apology Over Principal Reassignments, Vows Improvement: A Recap
Ministry of Education apologizes for last-minute principal reassignments and exclusion of acting principals from interviews. Measures to improve accountability and support for educators announced. Association of Public Primary School Principals criticizes handling.
5 min read
Originally published by barbadostoday.bb (opens in new tab)
In the face of criticism from the nation’s public primary school principals over last-minute reassignments of school principals and the exclusion of acting principals from permanent appointment interviews, the Ministry of Education has issued an apology.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Minister of Education Kay McConney and senior civil servants acknowledged mistakes were made in the reassignments of 11 principals, who were given just one day’s notice that they were expected to report to their new schools.
The minister gave an assurance that measures would be implemented to improve accountability and provide greater support for affected educators.
She is banking on a dedicated Teaching Commission to manage recruitment and appointments and reduce delays caused by the current system.
“We really have to come up with a better way of doing assignments, appointments, and transfers in a manner that will be reasonable for those who are impacted,” McConney told journalists.
The Association of Public Primary School Principals (APPSP) had earlier condemned the ministry’s handling of the matter, with president Olwin Walker describing the short notice for principal reassignments as “unjust and disrespectful”. Walker also highlighted the exclusion of 24 acting principals from interviews for permanent appointments and raised concerns over delayed salary payments, all of which, she said, had caused undue distress among educators.
McConney explained that the current delays stem from the broader public service framework, which oversees appointments for all government employees, not just those in education.
She admitted that there was a need for the ministry to improve its processes, especially regarding timely and organised transitions for educators.
“What I will say is that I believe that in any professional system, including a public service, wherever it is in the world, that persons who are being assigned and transferred and made to transition in various ways, that that is an activity that needs to happen in a timely manner and with the proper notification for people to make the adjustments they need to make,” she told reporters.
The minister also stressed the importance of fairness and clarity when managing the movement of educators and acknowledged that individuals respond differently to change.
“Some people are easier at dealing with change than others. Some have other demands that will require them to make other adjustments that others do not. But I think in fairness to all, whether it is with our teachers or it is our public service generally, we really have to come up with a better way of doing assignments, appointments, and transfers in a manner that will be reasonable for those who are impacted,” she said.
