Bahamas terminates contracts of 31 Cuban specialist teachers
The mostly vocational teachers will miss the new academic year as the government avoids aggravating Washington, which has also pressed it over Cuban medics.
NASSAU, Bahamas. The Bahamian government has terminated the contracts of 31 Cuban specialist teachers, giving them a brief period to wrap up their affairs before leaving the country, according to official announcements.
The group, made up mostly of vocational teachers in subjects such as welding and agricultural science, will not be part of the new academic year, which began in the archipelago earlier this month.
The move comes as the government seeks to avoid aggravating its American neighbour. The teachers are leaving just as their counterparts in medicine have faced pressure from the Trump administration to reduce Cuban influence in the country.
Washington regards the Cuban medical brigade system as a form of forced labour and human trafficking, because a large part of the monthly payments for the medics went to the Cuban government, with only a small portion set aside as stipends for the workers.
Ministry says renewal was never guaranteed
Announcing the decision, the education ministry said that "our priority remains the recruitment and hiring of qualified Bahamian educators". Automatic renewal of the contracts "was never guaranteed", the ministry added.
It is not clear whether any of the teachers will be allowed to stay on as direct hires, with individual contracts and full pay rather than having their emoluments routed through the Cuban government.
The teachers' union, the BUT, has complained that ending the contracts will leave a void in the school system and has called for the decision to be reconsidered.
Officials say The Bahamas will also seek to recruit foreign teachers from countries that would not attract the attention of the US, which is the country's main source of tourist arrivals.
