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Elvis Daniel. (Internet photo)
Elvis Daniel. (Internet photo)

The St. Martin’s Secondary School (SMSS) has hired mathematics teacher Elvis Daniel, who was not rehired by the state when he contested the 2010 general elections for the opposition New Democratic Party.

But the Unity Labour Party administration has agreed to pay Daniel’s salary after the school, which is owned by the Catholic Church, made the request.

Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, told Parliament on Thursday that Bishop Jason Gordon wrote to the Government saying the school wanted to hire Daniel to teach maths.

“The St. Martin’s Secondary School is in desperate need of a maths teacher and from all reports, Mr. Daniel is very competent in this field. I am asking if the Ministry of Education would pay Mr. Daniel while he is employed at the School,” the bishop wrote, Gonsalves told Parliament.

“Mr. Speaker, the St. Martin’s Secondary School is hiring Mr. Daniel, not the Public Service Commission. And I have always indicated that I have nothing to do with the hiring of teachers,” Gonsalves said.

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“But in the case where a request is made for the payment of a teacher, I become involved,” he further stated.

“So I have accordingly given the instructions to both the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education and the Director General of Finance and Planning that Mr. Elvis Daniel be paid as a graduate teacher at St. Martin’s Secondary School and this has the full support of the Cabinet of St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” Gonsalves said.

Daniel, Ken Johnson, and Addison “Bash” Thomas resigned from the teacher service ahead of the 2010 vote.

Their resign came as the Government described as “aspirational” and unconstitutional a clause of the 2005 collective agreement it signed with the Teachers’ Union.

The provision would have allowed teachers who ran and lost in national elections to be rehired.

The Government did not rehire the three teachers.

12 replies on “Gov’t to pay salary as school hires maths teacher Elvis Daniel”

    1. Really? how stupid can you be? Maybe also the minister of national security should not be a politician because he definitely “can have an adverse effect” on the police force.
      Come on Jason, you should be able to do better that this.

  1. Urlan Alexander says:

    Elvis Daniel, Addison Bash Thomas and Mr Johnson have been out of work as teachers since December 2010 simply because they ran on an NDP ticket in the election of that year. They are all graduate teachers who between them have close to a 100 years of experience in the classroom. While they have been victimised there is a Teacher Union agreement that is signed by government which promises to give back teachers their jobs if they contest elections and lost and they wish to return to the classroom. However when the three teachers concerned re-applied to the teaching service, they were told that the agreement is only aspirational at best. This is from a LABOUR government headed by a PM who gives the impression that he is a supporter of the working class.

    Today, the St Martin Secondary School recognised the quality teacher in the person of Elvis Daniel and has hired him to teach maths in this great educational institution. Now here comes Ralph Gonsalves with his bag of tricks as if to say “Ralph to the rescue”. In that case what about Mr. Johnson? What about Bash? As the election atmosphere is again upon us it will be interested to see what the comrade next move is. Anyway the writing is on the wall. A drowning man will grab at a straw the saying goes. Come high or low water, the Comrade and the ULP are in their last days and they’re fighting a losing battle.

  2. What does the PM think, “a fool talk and fools are listening”? As PM, Minister of Finance, which makes him Boss of the Country, he can order to pay Mr. Daniel now that he is hired by St. Martin’s Sec. but he couldn’t instruct the Min. of Education and Services Commission to re-instate Mr. Daniel and his colleagues? Why don’t he stop talking bulls….? You don’t have nothing to do with hiring but lots to do with firing?

  3. Its a shame when people like Jason compound the belief in the Diaspora that there are some extremely stupid ignorant prattish people in SVG. Jason is living evidence of such idiocy.

    Two things are infinite, as far as we know – the universe and human stupidity. ~Attributed to Albert Einstein

    Peter Binose
    Self appointed keeper of the whistle.

  4. JASON, Thinking about your silly post, how about this,

    Lawyers not suppose to be politicians. They will have an adverse effect on the criminals.

    Religious ministers, not suppose to be politicians. They will have an adverse effect on the Christians.

    Business men, not suppose to be politicians. They will have an adverse effect on the business.

    So Jason who can be a politician?.

    Don’t forget Ralph Gonsalves was a school teacher and university lecturer, according to your reckoning he should not be a politician. In his case I am sure some people will agree with that.

    Peter Binose

  5. Congrats Elvis on been reinstated to a profession that you have dedicated your life to. The Govt and the school did the right thing on behalf of the students.
    At the end of the day we cannot punish the students due to party politics.

  6. Hat’s off to Ralph. I hope he won’t stop here, but continue to give all SVG nationals their due respect, irrespective of party card.
    Good deed Ralph. Keep it up.

  7. Why Jason? Is it because they are honest, unlike the criminals holding that position now?
    Politicians have an adverse effect on students. Look how many criminals there are in the society, simple because no one can discipline children.

  8. I just hope that this action doesn’t bring spite, malice, hatred and nastiness upon the school. Because its not just people that can suffer these inflictions, companies, unions, and perhaps now even schools.

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