The Education Ministry has admitted that teachers were incorrectly informed which led to some not attending the Proficiency English test provided by the Ministry.
Education Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum revealed that some Divisional Educational Officers were the ones responsible for misinforming teachers.
“We have since discovered that some Divisional Educational Officers have told these teachers that they do not have to seat for the test so some of them actually did not turn up, so actually they gave out the wrong information and as a result they have missed out on getting a contract.”
Sayed-Khaiyum says all teachers who were given incorrect information and did not yet sit for an exam will be required to sign a statutory declaration stating the circumstances around their situation.
“So we have mapped a way forward and what we have decided is that all those teachers who were told incorrectly by the Divisional Educational Officers that they do not have to seat for the exam will be given a one year contract and in the meantime they have to seat for the exam and the exam dates will be released in the next couple of weeks.”
Sayed-Khaiyum says teachers who were given incorrect information will be granted one-year contracts, however they will need to sit for proficiency examinations to determine their order of merit so they can be appropriately placed in schools.
The Minister has also advised these teachers to contact the Civil Service Reform Unit about their contracts and other queries regarding their salaries.
