by ERIC SMITH

UNDER STRESS and facing financial hardship.

That is the plight in which some temporary teachers still find themselves this weekend.

They had expected that yesterday, World Teachers' Day, would have brought them relief, for that was when they were supposed to
have been paid their September salaries.

But a number of teachers called the SATURDAY SUN yesterday outlining their displeasure at not getting their salaries as promised and pointing to various financial difficulties they faced.

A week ago Permanent Secretary Atheline Haynes of the Ministry of Education indicated there was "a problem" regarding the payment of temporary teachers "at a number of schools". She apologised for the delay in payment and promised every effort would have been made to pay all teachers by yesterday.

But that was not to be, and yesterday Karen Best, president of the Barbados Union of Teachers, described it as an "untenable situation".

The head of the teachers' industrial relations organisation noted that some of the affected teachers were in the system for as many as eight years and were reassigned to schools at the end of the last academic year.

She indicated it was difficult for some of the teachers who had mortgages and other financial commitments.

"The union is monitoring the situation . . . the union maintains that this should never happen again," adding: "How do you justify something
like this?"

Late yesterday evening, Acting Deputy Chief Education Officer Laurie King pointed out that over 500 of the affected temporary teachers had been paid, with less than 100 still to receive their salaries.

He said these teachers should be paid on Monday and the remainder on Tuesday or Wednesday. Teachers at Erdiston Teachers' Training College also affected by late payments should also get their salaries next week.

King said all the teachers were now accounted for and in the system.