Dr. Hilaire (left) and Dr. Rigobert
(SNO) — Castries South Member of Parliament Dr. Ernest Hilaire has said Education Minister Dr. Gale Rigobert should accept full responsibility for issues affecting the education system.
The Opposition parliamentarian was responding to reports of delays in school refurbishment for the new year school.
Dr. Rigobert said some principals submitted reports of infrastructural defects for their schools as late as the same day the new school term reopened.
She said despite extending the deadline for submissions during the four-week summer holiday, some principals still submitted their reports late.
“We sent out a circular, as we call it in the public service, to advise and invite principals to report infrastructural defects in their respective schools. We extended the deadline…. Would you believe further that yesterday (Monday, Sept. 3), yesterday, we got reports of infrastructural defects,” she said.
However, Dr. Hilaire said this is no excuse, and while it is understandable that some people did not do their jobs, in the end the education ministry is the one in charge and should take full responsibility for the tardiness.
“There are district education officers, there are principals,” he explained. “The district education officers [are] responsible for a district with all the principals, so if the principals did not send it (reports) we have to hold them responsible. We also have to hold the district officers responsible, we have to hold the chief education officer responsible, because the minister is saying they did not send the list to her.”
However, Dr. Hilaire said the issues plaguing the ministry is now “becoming even more bizarre”..
“The same way the minister is not responsible fro the proposed salary [tuition] increase at Sir Arthur Lewis [Community College]… she said she didn’t know anything about it. When will the minister of education accept responsibility for the education system?” Dr. Hilaire questioned.
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