A list of public service positions that will not be filled in the next financial year is before cabinet for consideration, the Sun can disclose.

    A task force established by the Pierre Charles administration to make proposals for the reduction of the public service wage bill has presented its report to cabinet, Julian John, the cabinet secretary confirmed to the Sun.

    Johnson would not say what the task force had proposed, stressing that it would be inappropriate to do so while the government was still looking at the report.

    "I don't think it would be appropriate to release the contents at this time," Johnson told the Sun, adding that the recommendations "are not only in respect to posts not to be filled in the next financial year, but other recommendations as well."

    However, the Sun understands that the teaching service might be among the first to be affected.

    The Prime Minister is looking at a number of schools where there is low population and the teacher to student ratio is not what it is supposed to be," said Felix Gregoire, the permanent secretary in the ministry of education.

    "We are doing a comprehensive exercise on that. We want to look at merging schools (and what) effect (it would have) on education," added Gregoire, who confirmed that his ministry had made proposals to the task force after consultation among the departments.

    "We are looking at administrative staffing towards not filling positions that are not essential. We are also looking at security in the schools and the best way to deal with that…to see how we can tighten up on safety in schools. We are looking at the security people and the ground staff. We are looking to computerize some of the operations, " the permanent secretary said.

    The question of the closure of some schools and the merger of others became a matter for discussion following a study of the primary school population and the teacher to student ratio, which uncovered evidence to show that the population of some schools was small that some teachers taught only three periods a day.

    The study revealed that there were 15 primary schools with enrollments of under 60 students and another 11 with enrollments of between 60 and 100 students. Together these schools - - many of them in neighbouring communities - - have over one thousand five hundred students and just under 100 teachers (about 15 students per teacher) and 26 principals.

    For example, the study showed that the Wotten Waven school has 28 students and three teachers, (about nine students per teacher); Lighthouse has 54 students and seven teachers, (fewer than eight students per teacher). Delices and Boetica have under 120 students between them and seven teachers.

    "We are finding that out (that there are schools where) we don't need teachers. We are finding out that there are schools where teachers have unnecessary free periods. If you have teachers who have so many free periods a week, you should know that the teachers are not needed," said Gregoire.

    The Dominica Association of Teachers (DAT) said that it was aware the school population had been decreasing over the years and had been discussing how to best deal with the situation.

    "In very early days the days I was suggesting that they (merge some schools and) bus the students to school (but) now I've changed my position because of the high incidence of child abuse," said Celia Nicholas, president of DAT.

    "You also have the situation of public transportation where some children will be home because they don't have the money to pay the bus. And even if they are given the money, they actually hitch hike and make some extra pocket money," added Nicholas.

    She said that while a number of schools in the rural districts were under populated, some urban schools like the Goodwill, Mahaut, Massacre and St. Martin primary schools were "bursting at the seam."

    Nicholas also suggested that the ministry of education enforce a recommendation to zone the country and ensure that students did not attend classes outside their zones.

    She agreed that some schools would have to close but made it clear that it did not mean that appointed teachers would be sent home. Instead, she said, they should be reassigned, while non-appointed teachers should be kept "in the system" to be called upon whenever their services were needed.

    The advantage of merging schools, said Nicholas, was that the ministry of education could be able to get rid of the current multi-grade system in many of these schools where one teacher has had to teach several classes.

    "Let is look at the Boetica and Delices schools where both are multi-grade. If the two schools join, using the staff at both schools, we can have a normal school," said Nicholas. "So if you have situation where the children can have their full grade and forget the multi-grade, that can be good."