The Executive of the Bermuda Union of Teachers continues to monitor the situation in our public
schools around the alarming shortage of substitute teachers with great apprehension. The
Department of Education must make correcting this highly volatile state-of-operations their top
priority.
Teachers are being driven to burn-out through a lack of support in the form of substitute teachers
that can cover staff absences, and this is not the first time we have made this call for more substitute teachers to be made available – whether through redistribution, or hiring.
Our students are being neglected in many incidences, with classes going untaught, and even unsupervised, in some schools, and other schools having to go to the unfathomable extreme of closing due to lack of available staff on campus. This must not become a regular occurrence – it’s quite disturbing that it even happened once.
The Department of Education must move quickly to resolve the substitute teacher shortage, and thereby ensure our children have teachers. Again, we urge the re-evaluation of Department protocols for substitute coverage, and that immediate action be taken to expand the list to include more qualified professionals.
We implore the Department of Education to work collaboratively with us to ensure that our
teachers and students receive the support they need to maintain a high-quality educational
environment.
We remain steadfast and committed to supporting our teachers, and advocating for
changes that will enhance teaching and learning in the Bermuda Public School System.
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