Queen's College (QC) continues to excel but is still losing permanent teachers to migration and other reasons, the Parent Teachers Association (PTA) heard at its annual general meeting (AGM).

Meanwhile, the new executive elected to serve for the next term, is headed by businessman Winston Jairam. Jairam takes over from outgoing president Dr Steve Surujbally. Dr Surujbally, now Chairman of the Elections Commission did not seek re-election.

Presenting her report at the AGM held at the National Cultural Centre on Tuesday afternoon, Principal Wendel Roberts said that during the period, January to September, 2001, Queen's College lost 18 permanent teachers, to migration, selection for higher education and other job opportunities. One other teacher has been absent without leave.

At present the school needs heads of department for Industrial Arts, Information Technology, Science, English Language, Modern Foreign Languages and Business. In addition, there is need for six graduate teachers in the science subjects, two each for Biology, Chemistry and Physics. There is also need for two graduate teachers for English Language; one full-time graduate in French; one full-time graduate in Geography and one in Social Studies/History; one Physical Education teacher and one Music teacher.

In spite of the shortage of teachers in some departments, 16 students of Queen's College received Best Performers' awards at the recent Ministry of Education annual awards ceremony. They included Aparna Gajraj who copped three awards for her performance at the Caribbean Educational Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations and Amlata Persaud, the country's top achiever at the General Certificate of Education Advanced Level examinations.

At the CSEC examinations 23 subjects were offered and the school secured 93.1% pass. This included 100% passes in seven subjects. Fifteen students gained seven or more Grade I passes in a range of seven to 11 subjects.

At the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) the school secured 72% passes in the 15 units of the 14 subject areas written. And at the GCE A-Level examinations 72% passes were recorded in the 14 subject areas entered. The headmistress noted that at present, the students continued to operate in congested and difficult conditions because classroom facilities were still being used for administrative and other purposes. The school's current student enrolment is 874.

The two flats, which have been returned to the school by the Ministry of Education, now house the Allied Arts and Music departments as well as the Industrial Arts Department.

The slow progress on the reconstruction of the section of the school which was gutted in November 1997 is still a source of concern for the parents, who indicated that they would like their next AGM to be held in the school's auditorium currently under construction.

Among concerns raised were the inability of parents to meet the principal when they would like to, the purchasing of text books by parents for which there was no need, inadequate supply of text books from the Ministry of Education and the embarrassment of children who could not make the financial and other contributions being requested from time to time for some of the school's activities.

Apart from Jairam who has been elected to serve as the new president, other executives are Malcolm Fredericks, vice president; Zaida Joaquim, secretary; Hubert Meusa, treasurer; and Leroy Cort, assistant secretary/treasurer. Committee members are Derrick Yan, Sandra Lowe, Samuel Abdool and Ovid Holder.

In his report, the outgoing president said that the intention of the PTA to increase the salaries of teachers at the school was not successful. Efforts to increase the salaries across the board met "stiff opposition from the teachers themselves. They argued that a teacher who perennially arrived late and did not submit reports on time and was otherwise derelict in his/her duty should not be rewarded at the same rate as a committed and dedicated teacher." In the end, he said, the PTA was "forced to back off and follow the time-worn path of allowing the Ministry of Education [government] to solve the problem centrally."

Dr Surujbally noted that the programme for the revival of moral and ethics among the students had been put on hold as students felt that there were not enough role models among the teaching staff. Parents pointed out that the results of such an exercise would further erode the teachers' influence in the school.

In spite of not achieving all of its plans, the PTA felt that it had contributed to better relations between the schools' support groups including the Ministry of Education. The PTA has also improved its financial standing to the benefit of the school; and has supported a number of the school's projects.

Among the projects the PTA supported were:

* teachers participation in a conference in Jamaica on `Nurturing the gifted and talented';

* staff loans;

* students receiving eye examinations and spectacles;

* medical expenses including an emergency operation;

* helping a father to accompany his children to the Pan American Karate Championships in Philadelphia, USA.