~ WITU refused to represent its teachers at NIPA. ~
PHILIPSBURG: --- Several students at the National Institute of Professional Advancement (NIPA) have been left in limbo since the management of NIPA has refused to hire core teachers who would teach them level 3 in their career path. Many of the students found out this school year that they do not have the teachers to teach night classes or even some day classes.
The students who contacted SMN News said that while they were taught general subjects such as mathematics and English during the day classes, they do not have teachers to teach level 3 in the evenings. Students even took to social media to let out their disappointment in the school and its management team.
One teacher who spoke to SMN News on the condition of anonymity said the students who took the electronic classes last school year are not able to continue this year simply because the management of NIPA refused to hire the teacher they recruited. The teacher said that a fully equipped lab is at NIPA, but no teacher is there to continue the courses for the students who have already taken levels one and two. The teacher further explained that the same goes for automotive and social pedagogical workers (SPW).
NIPA has been in existence since 2014, and so far, the school is still not managed correctly, they alleged. There have been ten to 12 directors thus far, most of whom were fired for several reasons. Some directors were let go because they could not hire teachers since the board did not provide the funding to hire teachers they said.
Presently NIPA has three directors, who are also not hiring teachers leaving the students who began their courses in Electronics, automotive, and SPW in limbo.
The students and teachers who spoke to SMN News said that the students who graduated in July are still to receive their diplomas. “Can you imagine students sacrificed so much to complete their classes and when they attended graduation and expected their diploma, there were none?”
The students said the Minister of Education does nothing for schools and students since he attended the graduation and did not have the diplomas to present to the students. “We would like to know what the Minister’s excuse is for not having the diplomas for NIPA students, why he did not make sure NIPA management had these diplomas in place so that they could have been presented, they asked.?
SMN News contacted the Minister of Education Rodolphe Samuel for an explanation and he said based on his knowledge the school did not have the diplomas ready. The Minister said he would verify with NIPA and provide a more indebt response at a later date.
SMN News also contacted the Chairlady of the NIPA board Peggy Ann Dros- Richardson who is currently out of office. Dros- Richardson however, promised to have the management team of NIPA respond to the questions sent to her by email. As soon as NIPA management responds SMN News will update this article.
WITU President not representing teachers at NIPA.
The teachers also indicated that the President of the WITU has failed to represent them whenever they have issues with NIPA. They alleged that the President of WITU Board Stuart Johson is friends with some members of the Supervisory Board of Directors OF NIPA. The teachers said that the union dues are automatically deducted and he would not respond to their calls or messages whenever they contact Johnson for representation. SMN News also dispatched an email to Johnson requesting that he respond to the allegations made against him. Johnson responded by stating the following.
" In response to your inquiry, WITU, represents 11 dedicated educators, at the NIPA. We want to make it clear that we were unaware of "several" complaints of the complaints you have questioned, and we are committed to ensuring that our members are well-represented and supported at all times.
When WITU is contacted regarding the need for representation for our members facing complaints, we respond promptly and proactively.
We remain committed to monitoring any situation closely and will continue to provide unwavering support to our members throughout any process."
After this article was published teachers at NIPA decided to send SMN News an email Johnson sent to NIPA board regarding one of its long-standing members who was a part-time teacher at NIPA. The WITU members said that Johnson lied in his response and asked that he verify his previous statements.
Greetings from the WITU,
