A firestorm of concern is erupting over the prolonged absence of a physics teacher at the prestigious St. Vincent Girls High School (GHS). Renowned physician Dr. Wayne Murray ignited the controversy with a passionate Facebook Live address, decrying the Ministry of Education’s inaction and the silence from the school’s Parents Teachers Association (PTA).
“Week four,” Murray stated, his voice laced with frustration. “Four weeks into the term, and Form Four and Five students at the top performing school on the island are without a designated physics teacher. Seriously, are we serious?”
The GHS, long celebrated for its academic excellence, is now grappling with a critical shortage that threatens to undermine its students’ educational prospects. Murray didn’t mince words, accusing the Ministry of Education of misplaced priorities.
“This is the time of year when every minister will be opening up a school and open up a cemetery and open up a port or a bridge, and people will jump and clap and talk about good government,” Murray lamented. “But they won’t talk about the fact that students are now going into a month without a physics teacher.”
Students preparing for crucial regional exams like the CSEC are left in a precarious position, relying on outdated notes and YouTube videos.
“Look at YouTube so you can understand it,” Murray quoted, mimicking the advice allegedly given to students. “Use the student notes from before. How does that reckon for an education?”
What’s perhaps equally disturbing, according to Murray, is the apparent lack of outcry from the GHS’s PTA.
“What is even more disappointing is that the people in the Parents Teachers Association have nothing to say because no one wants to take action relative to what happens to the students.”
This silence raises questions about parental involvement and advocacy for their children’s education.
Murray didn’t spare the opposition party either, criticizing their silence on the matter.
“Then there’s the opposition again, who love to talk about things… And I’ve not heard one otter out of them relative to this situation.”
He suggested that the GHS situation might be indicative of a broader problem, with other schools across the country also lacking essential teaching posts. He further linked the issue to the controversial COVID-19 mandate that led to the termination of teachers, implying a possible connection between the dismissals and the current shortages.
With elections on the horizon, Murray accused the Minister of Education of prioritizing campaigning over addressing the pressing needs of students.
“These are the person who will be coming around and asking for another term… If you cannot handle a situation which literally is a straightforward and simple like this, what neither of you need deserve to be in government.”
His frustration reached a boiling point as he suggested, “Well, you all just pack up and give us back to the British!”
