A lack of urgency by the Establishment Department in issuing formal appointment letters to teachers has drawn sharp criticism from the Minister of Education, prompting swift intervention from Cabinet to resolve the issue by the end of the week.

During Thursday’s post-Cabinet media briefing, Chief of Staff Ambassador Lionel Hurst revealed that the Education Minister expressed frustration over what he described as an “unacceptable delay” in delivering confirmation letters to teachers, many of whom have been in limbo despite being hired.

“The Minister reported to Cabinet that these letters should have gone out a long time ago,” Ambassador Hurst said. “Even though there was some industrial action, he felt that there was just a lack of energy and enthusiasm by those with responsibility to communicate with the teachers.”

The delay has already sparked unrest within the education sector, with brief industrial action taken earlier in the week. Cabinet has since directed the responsible officials to move with “greater alacrity” to issue the outstanding letters.

According to Hurst, the letters are expected to be delivered no later than Friday, April 4, following the Minister’s intervention. He added that the matter was being treated with urgency to prevent further disruption in schools.

Teachers’ unions and education stakeholders have long raised concerns about administrative bottlenecks and delays in processing appointments and confirmations. The latest intervention by Cabinet suggests the issue has reached a tipping point.

It remains to be seen whether the affected teachers will receive their letters on the newly promised timeline—and whether the action taken by Cabinet will restore calm.