The teachers were into day four of a sit-out, voicing objecting to the appointment of a new senior mistress.
They claimed that Shavanda Darville is unqualified to hold the position because of a lack of experience.
The teachers asked for a man to replace Ms. Darville, claiming that the new senior mistress would be unable to handle the teenage boys at the school.
Minister of Education Alfred Sears and other education officials met with the teachers Thursday afternoon.
About a half hour into the meeting, more than 30 teachers stormed out of the meeting. They claimed that nothing was being resolved.
One teacher shouted that there will be no school on Friday.
Minister Sears said he will not allow such discrimination against an educator to take place at the junior school.
“In my opinion, this is an unjustified stoppage of school,” he told reporters.
“The complaints that have been made against Ms. Darville are unfortunateï¾…she was duly elected by an independent constitutional body, and she ought to be given an opportunity to show that she can perform in the capacity that she now serves.”
He said the fact that she is a young woman does not make her unqualified for the job.
“I am looking forward to sitting with the Bahamas Union of Teachers so that we can get the process of education going on here,” Minister Sears said.
He said that he had hoped to meet with officials of BUT on Wednesday, but was unable to because they were off the island.
Minister Sears indicated that the action being taken by the teachers is illegal.
“You should not stop work under our law without giving the ministry a copy of the complaint and a reasonable opportunity to address it,” he said.
“That was not done here. When I was made aware of the situation the teachers had already withdrawn their service. My understanding of industrial relations is that one will not engage in an industrial act until the employer was given notice of the complaints.”
The minister said he is prepared to review all options, including sending Ms. Darville to another school.
Howard Newbold, district superintendent for the northwestern district, said he was optimistic that discussions between the teachers and education officials would have brought the sit-out to an end.
Mr. Newbold, a former administrator at the school, said Ms. Darville was well qualified for the position as she has taught before and has headed another junior school in the country.
He said he was uncertain whether school would meet all day on Friday, but encouraged parents to send their children to school.
On Thursday, some parents expressed disappointment that the dispute was leading to the disruption of teaching.
Source: The Bahama Journal
