Educators at Saint Mary Academy initiated a brief work stoppage on Monday, February 2nd, in response to the non-payment of January salaries by the Ministry of Education. This industrial action serves to spotlight systemic compensation issues plaguing teachers within government-assisted educational institutions across Dominica.
According to an official communiqué released by the faculty, salary disbursements that were historically punctual have experienced consistent delays since December 2018. Similar to other assisted secondary schools nationwide, Saint Mary Academy relies on monthly governmental grants for payroll funding. Staff representatives report that school administrators now routinely undertake multiple personal visits to the Treasury Department, frequently receiving explanations that necessary checks remain either unprepared or awaiting signatures.
The teaching body emphasized that this compensation crisis extends beyond their institution, affecting educators throughout Dominica’s network of government-assisted schools. They detailed how belated payments create substantial financial distress, preventing teachers from meeting critical obligations including loan repayments that often accumulate penalty fees and additional interest charges.
“The normalization of end-month or post-month salary payments must cease,” the statement asserted, highlighting that assisted-school teachers remain excluded from the timely payment protocols granted to other educational professionals. Staff further noted that while certain public officials receive advance compensation during national holidays like Creole Day and Christmas, educators at assisted institutions consistently face financial disadvantage.
Faculty members are demanding equitable treatment through several specific measures: implementation of consistent timely salary payments, immediate disbursement of overdue back pay, and salary reclassification parity with government secondary school teachers based on equivalent qualifications and experience. Additionally, they urge full implementation of existing agreements between the Dominican government and assisted schools, characterizing these changes as fundamental to achieving professional fairness and justice.
Despite these operational challenges, Saint Mary Academy maintains exceptional educational standards, achieving consistent 100% pass rates in multiple subjects and regularly securing top rankings in national and regional academic comparisons. Teachers expressed profound pride in their contributions to Dominica’s educational excellence while reaffirming their unwavering commitment to student development.
The academic staff recognized ongoing advocacy efforts by educational trade unions and requested continued support from the Catholic Schools’ Board of Management and other supervisory bodies. They issued a final appeal to the Ministry of Education’s sense of justice, framing resolution of these compensation issues as both a moral imperative and a matter of professional dignity.