Dear Editor,
I have been asking myself this question for the past several days. Why is Lyndon Lewis the Acting Minister of Education? Overseeing two ministries is a daunting and difficult task for one person to effectively manage, especially for a new minister.
Another question is why the ruling coalition did not appoint a minister of education? The ruling coalition saw fit to appoint a minister of VROMI [Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure – Ed.]. This was done because of the current energy crisis. Not appointing a minister has been interpreted by some educators that the current political leadership does not view education as a priority presently.
The main reason this article was written is to highlight the fact that during the Council of Ministers July 10, 2024, press briefing Minister Lewis did not discuss the fact that subsidized school teachers still have not been paid 1 percent cost of living adjustment (COLA) and 1 percent increase in vacation allowance.
Finally, on June 26, 2024 a reporter asked a minister about this issue at the last council of ministers press briefing. Unfortunately, the minister was Patrice Gumbs. Equally disappointing is Minister Lewis was not present at that meeting. Moreover, sadly the minister of finance was not there either. Additionally, the minister of finance did not show up to the latest council of ministers press briefing.
Appointing Lewis to be minister of justice made sense because it suits his educational and work background. Placing him to be an acting minister of education was very foolish. An educator who worked at the elementary and secondary level is needed for the ministry of education.
Minister Lewis's silence on the non-payment of COLA and increase in vacation allowance is profoundly disturbing and deeply disrespectful towards subsidized school teachers. For the past four years, teachers have suffered greatly at the hands of one minister of education. Will this mistreatment and ignoring of subsidized school teachers' concerns continue? How long will these teachers have to wait for these two payments? Will it be sooner, later or never?
Kenneth Cook
