Walker Raises Alarm Over Teacher Shortages at Barbuda Secondary School

Serious teacher shortages at Barbuda’s only secondary school are putting students at a disadvantage, according to Barbuda MP Trevor Walker, who says several key subjects are either without teachers or being taught remotely.

Speaking on Observer Radio nine years after Hurricane Irma devastated the island, Walker said mathematics lessons are currently being conducted online because there is no mathematics teacher based at the school.

He said the situation extends to other important subjects, with the school also lacking teachers for physics, chemistry, biology and art.

Walker expressed concern that the shortages are having a direct impact on students preparing for Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) examinations and could affect their overall performance.

The Barbuda MP also renewed questions over approximately EC$3 million, roughly US$1 million, which he said was donated by the Morgan Foundation following Hurricane Irma in 2017.

Walker claimed Barbuda has not received any of those funds and alleged that Prime Minister Gaston Browne told officials the money was now “dead”.

Beyond education, Walker said housing recovery efforts are continuing through labour programmes administered by the Barbuda Council, along with assistance from international donors.

He also revisited the controversial repeal of the Barbuda Land Act in 2018, describing the move as “disaster capitalism” and maintaining his opposition to changes affecting the island’s traditional system of communal land ownership.

Walker did, however, acknowledge improvements in some areas since the hurricane.

He said medical evacuations from Barbuda have improved through airlifts conducted by the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force, while upgrades to equipment at the island’s hospital are continuing.

Road rehabilitation remains an area of concern, however, with Walker saying planned works have stalled.

The MP also renewed his call for constitutional reform, arguing that Barbudans should have a legally protected right to determine the future direction of the island.

This story was adapted from original reporting by Sharon N. Simon of the Antigua Observer by NewsCo.