St. Lucia Teachers' Union

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Message from the President

Date: Tuesday Jan 03, 2012

Message from the President

Teachers week provided us with an opportunity to reflect on the education system, the role of education in our society and our work as professionals and the professionalism that we bring to the job.

Teacher professionalism has to be promoted and maintained in our education system at all times as it is a fundamental pillar that will make education what it ought to be. As teachers, we are responsible for the education and welfare of the students placed in our care. This suggest that we need to maintain standards for professionalism for the education system to be effective. As such we must accept that we are influential role models and so conduct ourselves professionally at all times.

The preamble of the SLTU’s code of ethics states:

“The teacher as an individual has a number of responsibilities, one of these is the promotion of the esteem of the Teaching Profession in the eyes of the students and the public.

It must be understood, however, that the promotion of the profession does not mean building an elitis concept of the Teaching Profession; it means earning the respect and recognition of the community at large.

This respect and recognition will be earned as a result of the confidence which parents will place in teachers when they recognize the far reaching influence which the teachers’ work has on the development of the society, and also on the significance which their work has for the community.

It is the teacher’s personal commitment, love of children, strong sense of duty and identification with the interest of other workers which will  (erase the outmoded concept of the teacher and) create and maintain a professional image.”

I think it is wise that we are guided accordingly. Our professionalism must be reflected in our commitment to students, our relations to colleagues, our commitment to the profession, our commitment to our professional body (the SLTU) and our commitment to the education system and the community.

As professional education workers we must come to the realization that education has the power to transform lives. We must therefore at all times promote the concept of quality education for all. This makes the Education International theme for Teachers’ Week 2011 very relevant to us. The theme, Teachers for Gender Equality, encourages all of us involved in education to promote equality within our education system and the wider society. In doing so, we must be prepared to combat all forms of discrimination based on gender or gender stereotypes.

SLTU as a trade union organization is in the business of defending rights. Therefore it has to be seen working to achieve gender equality within the society. In this regard the SLTU can be proud of the support that it has given to the promotion of women’s issues through the work of its status of women committee.

We understand the issues of education are many however, through commitment to education we will overcome.

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