The government of Antigua and Barbuda has confirmed that classroom hours lost during the ongoing teacher sit-in will be recovered, with options including an extended school year or reductions to the holiday calendar now under consideration.

Chief of Staff Lionel Hurst made the announcement during Thursday’s post-Cabinet media briefing, stating that while the situation is regrettable, existing education regulations require students to receive a minimum number of instructional hours annually.

“There are a certain number of hours that students must complete. When that target is not met, the system allows us to either lengthen the school year or reduce the number of holidays,” Hurst explained.

Hundreds of teachers across the country have been withholding instruction since May 2, in protest over delayed allowance payments.

Although the Ministry of Education has disbursed payments to the vast majority of educators, a small number—believed to be fewer than ten—remain unpaid due to complications with the Treasury’s FreeBalance financial management system.

The issue has sparked frustration among parents and concern about the potential academic impact on students, particularly those preparing for end-of-year assessments.

According to Hurst, the delays stemmed from technical glitches within FreeBalance, which rejected several payment vouchers and required departments to resubmit them for processing.

While the funds were reportedly available, the bureaucratic process resulted in some checks being withheld or delayed.

The Ministry of Education has since published a list of names of the teachers who remain unpaid and requested that they report directly to the Treasury to collect their checks.

Despite being present in classrooms, many of the protesting teachers have refused to teach, with some students reporting that lessons have been replaced by extended periods of silence or self-directed work.

Hurst, speaking as both a government official and a parent, expressed disappointment at the ongoing disruption.

“Our children are being used as pawns. The teachers are in the classrooms, but they’re not teaching. I don’t see the wisdom in that,” he said.

The government maintains that teachers are essential workers and are expected to give advance notice before industrial action, allowing the Ministry time to implement contingency plans. However, the scale of the sit-in has made this virtually impossible.

Asked how soon normal teaching could resume, Hurst said that rests with the union’s decision to lift the sit-in once all payments have been made.

“We’ve said the money is there, the checks are being written, and they will have them. But the union insists on 100 percent before returning to work.”

Officials have not yet released a revised school calendar, but Hurst assured that students will receive their full allocation of instructional time before the academic year ends.