By PRIOR BEHARRY

Trevor Oliver, president of the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers' Association (TTUTA), admitted that there were teachers who were not performing but said they were in the minority and were of all races.

He was responding to comments made by Dr Selwyn Cudjoe who questioned whether Indian teachers taught African students with the same tenacity as compared to Indian students.

Oliver, who stressed that he was not getting into any issue of race, said the administrators like principals and school supervisors had a role to play in enhancing the performance of teachers.

He said there were excellent teachers of Indian decent as well as excellent teachers of African and Chinese descent while "those teachers who we found who do not perform come from all the races".

Oliver said what has to be done is that teachers who do not perform need to be targeted and systems have to be put in place in order to find such teachers.

But in a statement later yesterday, Oliver said that the Association "strongly condemns the reported attacks by Dr Cudjoe on the unquestionable professionalism of our teachers and in particular that of Indo-Trinidadian teachers".

TTUTA also condemned the response by Maha Sabha secretary general Sat Maharaj, whom, it said, while attempting to defend Indo-Trinidadian teachers "implied that Afro-Trinidadian teachers and particular Tobago teachers were lacking in diligence and professionalism".

"TTUTA rejects any flawed, distorted analysis which seeks to lay blame for the perceived under-performance of students solely on teachers and which ignores the complex nature of education," the association said.

It added that is is foolhardy and mischievous, in the absence of detailed research, simply to attach blame on teachers.

The statement signed by Oliver said there is no evidence to suggest that teachers, regardless of ethnic background, discriminate against students on the basis of ethnicity.

"TTUTA will not stand idly by and allow our teachers to be victims of sloppy analysis or be used as part of the dangerous, irresponsible agenda of divisive elements in the society," the statement said.