TNN News is investigating concerns being raised by local educators over the recruitment, appointment and placement of teachers within Bermuda’s public school system.
TNN understands that a number of qualified teachers are currently awaiting appointments or placements, while, at the same time, guest workers are reportedly being considered or brought in to fill teaching vacancies.
The concerns come amid continuing public scrutiny of Bermuda’s education system and questions surrounding teacher shortages and staffing levels at several public schools.
According to information received by TNN News, West End Primary School is understood to be short of a Primary 1 teacher and a Primary 4 teacher.
•At Purvis Primary School, TNN understands there are vacancies for a Primary 1 teacher, a Primary 4 teacher and a Primary 6 teacher. We have also been told that a teacher from the Turks and Caicos Islands has been brought in to fill one of those positions.
•TNN further understands that Purvis Primary is in need of a Primary 6 paraprofessional.
•At Francis Patton Primary School, information provided to TNN indicates that the school is seeking an IT staff member.
•Meanwhile, Port Royal Primary School is also understood to require additional teachers, with TNN receiving information that guest workers are being considered or brought in to address staffing needs.
TNN has also been told that St. David’s Primary School has a Filipino teacher who previously worked at another facility and whose employment situation has reportedly involved work-permit challenges.
The issues raise questions about how teacher vacancies are being addressed, the availability and placement of qualified local educators, and the circumstances under which overseas or guest workers are being recruited to fill positions within Bermuda’s public schools.
TNN News contacted the Ministry of Education seeking confirmation of the information and clarification on the current teacher vacancies, recruitment process, placement of qualified teachers and the use of guest workers to address staffing shortages.
Given the ongoing concerns surrounding Bermuda’s public education system, TNN believes there is significant public interest in understanding the current staffing situation in our schools.
The Ministry of Education provided the following statement through its spokesperson:
“The Ministry of Education and the Department of Education prioritise the recruitment of qualified Bermudian teachers for every vacancy in the public school system.
All teaching positions are advertised in accordance with Government of Bermuda policy, and no work permit application can be made without first satisfying the Bermuda Immigration and Protection Act 1956 and the Work Permit Policies administered by the Department of Immigration.
The Ministry’s position is, and remains, that qualified Bermudian teachers are prioritised, and overseas recruitment is only pursued where a suitable local candidate is not available after proper advertising.
Questions relating to individual employees, specific school-level staffing, and immigration status are matters for the Department of Education and the Department of Immigration respectively, and cannot be addressed publicly for privacy and operational reasons.”
TNN News will continue to follow this matter and will report any further clarification or response from the Ministry of Education as it becomes available.
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