The 2024–2025 academic year proved to be a trying time for teachers across Barbados, with a combination of school violence, unresolved salary issues, and continued frustration over vacation leave policy changes weighing heavily on the profession.
Speaking to Barbados TODAY as he reflected on the challenges of the recently concluded academic year, Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) President Rudy Lovell painted a sobering picture of what educators endured across the island’s primary and secondary schools.
“This 2024–2025 academic year has been a challenging one for teachers,” Lovell said. “Teachers had a lot of issues to contend with, mainly violence in schools. There were several acts across the school system, from primary to secondary, which contributed to the frustration among teachers.”
He also highlighted a range of longstanding pay-related grievances.
“They had pay issues—late payment for some teachers, incorrect salary scales, and late payment of increments. These salary issues had a major impact throughout the year,” he explained.
The BUT president further pointed to continued dissatisfaction over changes to term vacation leave, which have not been restored to their original 2014 status. This matter, he said, triggered significant action from the union.
“There is a growing frustration over the term vacation leave issue and the non-reinstatement to its original 2014 status. That too has taken up a lot of time this term,” Lovell noted. “We had a two-day sick-out in April, followed by a massive members’ meeting in May that attracted over 1 000 members. Those issues really took the cake in terms of our attention this year.”
Despite these difficulties, Lovell acknowledged some slight progress from the Ministry of Education, particularly regarding school maintenance.
“There’s a slight improvement in terms of maintenance, as the ministry has treated some issues of maintenance in schools, but there are still significant issues regarding infrastructure. We still need to see greater improvement if we are to get to the level that we want it to be at,” he said.
Nonetheless, he commended teachers for their dedication and resilience throughout the school year.
“All in all, teachers continued to turn up for work despite all of these challenges,” he said. “We are hopeful that the 2025–2026 academic year will bring a breath of fresh air and that we can begin to rid ourselves of some of these persistent challenges.”
Lovell also praised the ministry’s recent move to enforce discipline more strictly in schools, particularly through renewed efforts to implement Section 64 of the Education Act. However, he urged authorities to go further by investing in rehabilitative facilities for suspended students.
“I want to applaud the ministry for its recent circular regarding school discipline and enforcement of Section 64, but they can’t stop there,” he stressed. “The ministry must provide facilities for deviant students. If we discard them, someone else will pick them up – and those people may lead them in the wrong direction.”
He recommended the establishment of a dedicated facility for suspended students where they can receive meaningful instruction and guidance during their time away from school.
Responding to Minister of Training and Tertiary Education Sandra Husbands announcing that vocational training will begin at the primary level to help develop various skillsets among young children, Lovell cautioned against stereotypes that students placed in such programmes are academically weak.
“To say that some students aren’t academically inclined and should therefore be pushed into technical education is a myth,” he stated. “They are academically inclined—just in different ways.”
But Lovell expressed his support for the national focus on expanding skills training, while also encouraging the inclusion of high-performing students in technical and vocational tracks.
“There’s nothing wrong with having our gifted students in technical and vocational areas. We should be training as many people as possible and recognising talent in all its forms,” he concluded.
The post Tough school year for teachers, says BUT appeared first on Barbados Today.
