Nothing happened last week. It was marked by inactivity as far as progress toward any resolution of our considerable pressing issues — nothing happened environmentally, nothing happened financially, socially, legislatively.
Our parliamentarians haven’t met or ratified anything.
I did notice empty shelves in stores, attesting to the global supply-chain and shipping challenges, prices continue to crawl up.
Our two new ministers visited their departments. Wever visited the post office, the Chamber of Commerce, the Bureau of Intellectual property, and more. I do not recall the transfer of the Economic portfolio into his hands, perhaps I am wrong.
Arends visited the department of Agriculture, Husbandry and Fishing at Santa Rosa, a much neglected government entity, in a pathetic state of repair – despite the director’s goodwill. It was good for the minister to see. His various portfolios, Naturalesa y Medio Ambiente, Serlimar, Ouderen Raad y Bienestar di Animal, have been transferred by the Prime Minister in September.
The Minister of Education on the other hand, was rocking and rolling, outlining some nice cosmetic changes. The return of 3rd grade swim program, Landamento Escolar, grabbed positive headlines.
The swim teachers report it is all pre-mature. While things are heading in the right direction, nothing has been set yet, except a meeting on October 24th, all the fireworks were hasty, their status is still unclear and they were paid for August & September as contractor, not as government employees, a temporary, stopgap measure, which brought them back to work.
It is an interesting topic. Should an island surrounded by water teach its kids to swim or can they just pick it up on their own?
Obviously, there was a need for swim lessons, when first introduced in 1993, and swim teachers report parents today are too busy to take their kids to the beach, and/or too poor to pay for swim lessons.
Swim lessons are given here in the 3rd grade as part of the teaching curriculum, instead of PE. In the fourth grade PE is restored to the syllabus. Oranjestad school kids are bused to Palm Beach, where they change into bathing suits and enter the ocean in small groups, between 3 to 8 students, to master the “Diploma A” requirement of swimming 250m at the end of the year. The course concludes with more than 70% success rate.
(The Palm Beach facility, housing the Beach Police and the Swim Program, will be moved a few meters to the south, Closer to Divi Phoenix, as the construction of the St Regis Resort, gets underway.)
For further swim skills and diplomas, up to six levels, private swim lessons are given at Aqua Windie’s, for example.
The San Nicholas kids were bused to Baby Beach, but since the department in charge declared the changing trailer inadequate, kids were transported to the community pool, but because the water circulation there stopped – a motor broke – they are now using the Savaneta Olympic Pool. More than a dozen teachers work simultaneously, on the same beach or pool, each entrusted with his own group of students, then following the class the kids are expected to shower, get dressed, remember to pick up all their stuff and bring it on board the bus, going back to school to resume the regular school day. The turnaround takes two hours, and the swim teachers welcome 4 groups each day, for 45 minute classes.
De facto they work 4 hours, 5 days a week, but between meetings and prep, they almost reach the minimum 25 hours a week, required for a full time salary.
I am not sure I want them to work longer, they are responsible for getting the same number of nine-year-olds in and out of the ocean, and should not be overworked nor overstressed.
As mentioned before, this has been ongoing since 1993. The teachers were given a temporary, one-year contract at the beginning of each year, and that governed their relationship with their employer, GOA. Then in 2009 GOA stopped offering contracts and just expected them to show up for work, fueled by goodwill and trust, that their pay will appear on their bank account each month, no pension, no perks, no job security.
For 29 years.
And some of the teachers have been there from the start.
What’s wrong with that picture?
No Minister of Education ever had the backbone to regulated OR nix swim lessons, though if you ask around, every parent wants his/her kids to be able to survive in water.
In August 2020 the teachers were told the swim program will be replaced by another, involving kindergarten kids. The teachers will be rehired as part-timers and on a pay scale on par with school janitors and cleaners.
With all due respect, said the teachers, we deserve fair treatment and proper compensation because four and five year olds are unable to put on swim suits, on their own, then shower and change and take two bus trips, plus learn to swim 250 meters. We must manage their focus, and manage the pressure, this is NOT an easy job.
22 swim teachers would like to have their status regulated. The firework can come later.
