Found at: http://www.anguillaguide.com/article/articleprint/4802/-1/133/
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I Call It As I See It By: Vivien A. Vanterpool, B.PHIL DAES, DES
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Over the years, I have been expressing my opinion considering the political, social, economic and spiritual situation as it exist in Anguilla for Anguillians, and I will continue to say “ A Spade Is A Spade” irrespective to whomsoever it hurts.
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Mr. Vivien Vanterpool
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Firstly, I hereby make reference to a statement made by successive governments concerning the change from civil servants receiving pension with the introduction of Social Security. Many governments have remarked that civil servants were completely anti-Social Security. As far as this is concerned, fellow Anguillans, nothing could be further from the truth and I would here state categorically that civil servants were not against the introduction of social security, as I was a representative of the Anguilla Teacher’s Union during the negotiations at that time.
The facts are these: - civil servants were contracted under a Pension Scheme and became pensionable at the age of fifty-five. With the introduction of the Social Security Scheme by the Government of Anguilla, the government was, in essence, contravening their part of the contract. As a consequence, civil servants had no other alternative but to seek redress in order to ascertain our situation with regard to our future.
The British Government was asked to intervene and ordered that this was unfair to civil servants, whose contract on the pensionable establishment would be broken if this were to happen. The Anguilla Government was advised to return to civil servants their contributions which were deducted from their salaries (all be it without interes t). It was subsequently negotiated that civil servants entering the Public Service after 1981 would no longer be on the pensionable establishment but be part of the Social Security Scheme. As to say that civil servants were against the introduction of Social Security then, would and have been unfair. All we were doing is to secure our future as pensioners.
Secondly, I listened with intense interest to a talk delivered over the Radio Anguilla by Mrs. Ursil Webster and I would like to compliment her on her speech which touches the “nerve centre” of Anguillia”s society , as I call it as I see it. To me, fellow Anguillians, as a former educator, those expressed ideas are the fundamental principles of education as far as I am concerned. For too long we as colonials have known much about the British Empire as it exists today, but almost nothing of the knook and creek, and the History of Anguilla.
I think, as you do, Mrs. Ursula Webster, that the time has come when the curriculum of our schools - Pre-Primary and Secondary Schools should study Anguilla’s History, more so for the past years as well as its Geography. Some years ago, a group of teachers under the auspices of the University of The West Indies recommended a book which contained a number of the aspects of the Anguillian History and Geography to besuitable for Class Five of the Primary Schools. I wonder if this book is still available. If so, I suggest that permission be sought from the publishers to have a reprint with assistance from the private sector /our corporate citizens. I would also recommend that the speech over Radio Anguilla by Mrs. Ursula Webster concerning the Anguilla Revolution after forty years be placed in print in the News Media so that more person can have access to this extremely educational discourse.
Thirdly, it has appeared that the Government of Anguilla was on the same wave length with a suggestion I made in a correspondence to The Anguillian. Fellow Anguillians, I had no idea of the thinking of the Government of Anguilla and whether they were thinking about teachers and the role they played during the Anguilla Revolution. I mentioned in that article that teachers formed the bulk of the civil service in Anguilla in 1967, but that theyhave been woefully neglected over the years. However, good things come to those who wait. I was more than pleasantly surprised, on the fortieth anniversary of the Anguilla Revolution, to hear the names of those former principals of our primary schools replacing the names of the following schools: The Road School being named the Adrian Hazell Primary school, the Stoney Ground Primary School renamed the Orelia Kelly Primary School and the Island Harbour Primary as the Vivien Vanterpool Primary School. I hasten to reiterate, I call it as I see it. I would like on behalf of my colleagues to express our appreciation for this gesture. However, it has taken a long time for the Anguilla Government to recognise us for the role we played and continue to play in the development of Anguilla.
Finally, the foregoing are the facts as I see them, and I am asking the Government to continue to approach education as its priority concern for the future. Teachers and fellow civil servants especially those of us who retired from the public service during the past forty-years should be assist financially as these meagre pensions are woefully inadequate for sustenence in this era of high cost-of-living which is skyrocketing in this day and age.
May God in His wisdom continue to direct our leaders in all their deliberations and may He continue to bless Anguilla.