The following is a Teacher’s Day Message from Fayval Williams, minister of education and youth in recognition of the nation’s educators today (May 4).

Today, we celebrate the invaluable contribution of the “cornerstone of our society”, our teachers.

We pay tribute to our teachers for the work they are doing. This celebration on Teacher’s Day is symbolic of the awareness and appreciation for our educators and the contribution that they make to nation-building. 

This year we celebrate Teacher’s Day under the Education Week banner, “Revisiting The Foundation: Building Our Human Capital Through Equitable Educational Opportunities”.

It is our belief and firm conviction that education is the business of everyone. More so, for us, a small island developing nation, which needs the support of all its people, parents, and benefactors, in order to continue maintaining access to quality education for all.

I sincerely believe that teachers hold the key to the great future that we envisage for our people and for our beloved nation. 

As a Government, we want to acknowledge and give recognition to the vital role teachers play and the commitment needed to develop and build the country’s next generation. Hence, our investment in the future and in teachers must focus on improving the quality of teaching and learning. The Government will continue to empower our teachers by providing access to resources, quality training opportunities, and relevant continued professional development for this 21st Century. 

Through this medium, I also want to express, on behalf of the Ministry of Education and Youth, a special ‘Thank you’ for your sacrifices and willingness to adopt new learning pedagogies in order to adapt to the new learning environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also extend our gratitude to all the teachers who have served for a very long time and are retiring at the end of the year. We highly value your contributions to making a difference in the lives of young people.

Have a truly wonderful and blessed Teacher’s Day!