The following is public information.

Negotiations between the Bishop Anstey Association and the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago have recently begun regarding the model of which Bishops Anstey Trinity College East (BATCE) shall follow. Has the Government no care for the relationships formed by teachers and students alike at these 3 schools? Or is there something more? If BATCE no longer functions under a Privately Operated Model then Teachers will be forced to resign and apply to the Teaching Service, starting at the bottom of the application list not being guaranteed a job back at BATCE. If they do in fact get a job they will not be paid the same amount as their original salary. Teachers aged 45 or 40 and approaching 45 may not be able to even apply to the Teaching Service Commission and those that do apply may not be accepted if their application is reviewed soon enough. All of this may happen if the Government Assisted Model is chosen.

Terms of this Negotiation/The Government Assisted Model may be seen below;

For 20 years the government of Trinidad and Tobago has had a special arrangement with the Bishop Anstey Association (BAA) for Bishops Anstey and Trinity College East (BATCE). The special arrangement has come to an end and new negotiations have begun. Currently the decisions re negotiations are as follows:

・Teachers above the age of 45 years will automatically lose their positions as it is required that you must be under 45 if applying for a position in the Teaching Service

・Teachers below the age of 45 years must apply for a position in the Teaching Service, those who apply may or may not get a position and being given a position at BATCE after is not promised (meaning a position at BATCE is not guaranteed and those who apply may not be able to return)

・If teachers are taken into the Teaching Service regardless of how long they have been teaching at BATCE (10 years, 20 years etc) they will start at the lowest rung in the Teaching Service.

・This current decision may be executed at any point which means all staff at BATCE/Teachers are working under a cloud uncertainty

・This means that at any point in time in the future (if the Government Assisted Model is chosen of course) students of BATCE at the time may begin a new term or month with an entire new set of teachers which will negatively affect students’ learning as ongoing assignments such as SBAs etc will be disturbed.

 

This will greatly affect the jobs and financial security of these teachers, including the relationships and bonds formed with their students maybe even more. What about all put in place by these teachers? Do these teachers not help to keep the school running, what sense does it make to have their positions taken away? What will happen if or when they are gone? Have these teachers not sacrificed or worked hard enough for their school? Do these students deserve to have their great hard working teachers stripped of their jobs and put into an state of uncertainty not even being guaranteed their jobs back?

What is at stake you may ask? BATCE operates under a unique system/model and is the only Privately Operated school that operates as 3, Bishop Anstey High School East, Trinity College East and BATCE Sixth Form. All existing at the same time all in one compound as one school yet still 3 separate entities while keeping a sense of unity, a unique school system. If things change in favour of the Government Assisted Model then the state of all 3 of these schools not just students and teachers could be at jeopardy. Is it guaranteed that the government will uphold the standards that these 3 schools and their teachers along with parents have been maintaining for the past years? Will the government continue to pay the teachers the standard salary currently or the salaries that these teachers possess now?

The privately operated school system has been greatly benefiting the school for the past 22-23 years. So, let’s make sure that all is decided NOW, that these teachers keep their jobs and that students continue to learn comfortably without being afraid and uncertain on whether their teachers shall remain. Now is the time to act, these people’s jobs must be kept safe no matter their age, teachers continue to greatly impact their students and who knows how this may affect them.

Keep BATCE private.