Education Ministry, Teachers’ Union at odds over school reopening 

By Admin. Updated 1:00 p.m., Wednesday, October 7, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4). 

The decision to reopen most schools in St Vincent and the Grenadines amid continuing water supply problems is coming under scrutiny, with the Minister of Education defending the approach while the Teachers’ Union questions whether sufficient consultation and consideration were given to the health and safety of teachers and students.

Speaking on NBC Radio’s Face-to-Face programme on Wednesday October 7, Education Minister Phillip Jackson argued against closing schools for the remainder of the week and relying entirely on online teaching.

He said doing so could result in significant instructional losses, particularly for students whose schools are in a position to continue face-to-face instruction.

Jackson acknowledged that some students would lose instructional time because their schools remained closed, while others whose schools are open could still be unable to attend.

He said teachers would have to make adjustments to compensate for that lost instructional time.

The Minister also rejected calls for schools to close for the rest of the week and resume on Monday October 12, saying the cumulative loss of instructional time would be too significant.

But Jackson also addressed the suggestion of moving classes entirely online.

He said online learning comes with its own disadvantages because some students may not have access to the necessary devices or adequate internet service.

Jackson described the decision-making process as one requiring a balance between competing challenges.

“Sometimes you have to weigh these things,” he said, adding that this was part of what leadership and consultative leadership require.

His comments come against criticism from St Vincent and the Grenadines Teachers’ Union President Fiona Charles-Williams, who has raised questions about the reopening of schools while sections of the country continue to experience water disruptions.

Charles-Williams said the Union sought consideration and stakeholder involvement after the Central Water and Sewerage Authority indicated that the Majorca system would remain closed until further notice.

She said the Union was met with what she described as the Ministry’s “usual silence.”

The Union President is questioning how schools without water can safely reopen and whether those schools have safe drinking water and functioning water storage tanks.

She has also questioned whether the Majorca system’s reported contribution of about 40 percent of the island’s water supply should have been given greater consideration before decisions were made.

Charles-Williams is also asking why the list of schools reopening has been changing and whether the decision was made following sufficient dialogue and consultation.

Her concerns extend beyond access to water to the broader issue of workplace health and safety.

She argues that while the country considers an Occasional Health and Safety Act, the health and safety of teachers, other workers and those they serve must also be considered in decisions affecting schools.

The Union President says the Ministry “MUST do better.”

The two positions highlight a central question surrounding the reopening of schools, how should the education system balance the need to protect instructional time with the practical conditions students and teachers face when they return to the classroom?

For the education minister, keeping schools operating where possible is about limiting the overall loss of instructional time, while recognising that online learning is not equally accessible to all students.

For the Teachers’ Union, the questions centre on whether schools have the basic conditions necessary for a safe return, and whether teachers and other stakeholders were adequately consulted before the decisions were made.

The debate therefore extends beyond whether schools should be open or closed. It also raises questions about how decisions affecting the education system are communicated, how stakeholders are engaged and how health and safety considerations are weighed against the need to maintain classroom instruction.

END