FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Hon. Michael Pintard, M.P.: Unsafe Campuses, Teacher Shortages, and Broken Promises Mark New School Year Under PLP
As Leader of the Free National Movement, I stand with our teachers, who carry the weight of preparing the next generation every single day.
Yesterday, during my visits to schools and in the conversations our FNM candidates and I have had across the country, we heard the same concerns repeated by teachers and administrators. They want classrooms that are safe, properly staffed, and ready for learning. They want the respect and resources required to do their jobs well.
That is why this year the FNM is working to attract and mobilise resources that strengthen the entire education system. From corporate partners to civil society groups and alumni, we are committed to bringing support into our schools so that teachers and students are not left to carry these burdens alone.
But I want to stress that the concerns raised by educators about staffing, compensation, safety, and maintenance cannot be dismissed by the government. These are not mere complaints. They are practical roadmaps for fixing what is broken and building the schools our children deserve. When the system falls short, it is up to all of us to step forward and make sure our children are not left behind.
This new school year has opened under conditions that make it harder for students to learn and thrive. Classrooms are still missing teachers, with vacancies filled too late or left to retirees. Principals and administrators began the year without long-promised support, leaving schools unprepared. On too many campuses, health and safety remain a concern from mold and sewage smells to gates without security. Even after a school leader was assaulted earlier this year, officers were still missing on day one. These are not small problems. They are urgent issues that demand immediate action.
Yet in the midst of these challenges, our teachers continue to rise to the occasion. Yesterday, I heard from one teacher who picked up a brush to paint her classroom because the walls weren’t ready. Another is still waiting on air conditioning for her students, a fix that depends on long-delayed electrical upgrades. These stories show the quiet determination of our educators. They find solutions, they give more than they should have to, and they keep showing up for our children in light of a system that often moves too slow.
Today I am calling on the government to act. Resolve the disputes with principals and administrators. Pay what is owed. Fill vacancies with proper appointments and publish a hiring timeline that parents can trust. Deploy trained security to every campus immediately. Conduct urgent health and safety checks, then release a remediation plan for the schools most at risk. Parents deserve to know that classrooms are staffed, safe, and fit for learning.
The FNM has a constructive plan. We will recruit year-round so teachers are in place before September. We will offer relocation support and stronger induction for new hires. We will set realistic class size targets and fund the basics that teachers need. We will create a rapid-response maintenance fund for urgent fixes. We will enforce clear, national standards for campus security. Our children cannot wait. Let us act together now.