“Epidemic” of Teacher Absenteeism in Trinidad and Tobago

According to the most recent report from Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Education, an estimated ten percent of the nation’s teachers are guilty of delinquent absenteeism.

Using data from the report, the country’s Teaching Service Commission will investigate 1,443 teachers on cases of absenteeism, possibly resulting in disciplinary action. Spread out over districts and grade levels across the country, absenteeism begins after teachers have taken the 28 days of paid leave they receive each year. Some teachers under investigation were found to have been absent an additional 20 to 100 days per year, others were found to have been chronically late. One teacher is estimated to have been late for school for a total of 12,800 minutes throughout the year, averaging one hour and 20 minutes late each day.

According to an official at the University of the West Indies, the problem stems from poor management and leadership in the school system. He states that teachers often use their absences as a “weapon against the principals” and do not face severe enough consequences for their behavior.

Disputing the data, General Secretary of the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association Peter Wilson states that the blame for absenteeism lies elsewhere than on the teachers. In many cases, he says, teachers are pulled from the classroom to attend training or hold fundraisers for the school. Other times schools are closed due to external conditions. He says he does not accept the statistics about teacher absences.

Despite the protestations from the TTUTA, the Teaching Service Commission is pushing ahead with the investigations, in the hopes of less teaching time lost for Trinidad and Tobago’s students next year.

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Written by Carla Drumhiller Smith