Teachers who were on strike were expected to report back to schools on 19 January.

With only a few days remaining, questions were raised about what would happen to the temporary or replacement teachers who filled teaching gaps during the strike period.

The Ministry of Education, together with the Teaching Service Commission, was developing a strategy to address the situation of replacement teachers.

In an interview with VBTC News, the Minister responsible for the education sector, Simil Johnson, said there were many vacancies available to absorb these teachers, along with opportunities for professional training.

“We were working with the offices in the provinces to identify this, and there were a lot of teacher vacancies available. There were certain criteria for teachers to meet to ensure quality training, and for those who did not yet meet them, they would receive training. University students had helped a lot as temporary teachers, and we would keep some, while others would need training.”

Minister Johnson said temporary teachers should not feel that they no longer had a place to work.

“The Teaching Service Commission was working together to ensure they could continue as temporary teachers, be placed into training and return as teachers, or continue teaching under monitoring. There were many vacancies to be filled.”