EIGHT OF the 300 teachers who were served letters of termination last year under the government's restructuring and rationalisation programme have taken their dispute to the Court of Appeal.
They are appealing against a Supreme Court ruling dismissing their applications to have the letters of termination quashed.
The teachers had applied to the Supreme Court contending that the Minister of Education and Culture and the school boards had no legal authority to terminate their services. They said it was a breach of the rules of natural justice.
Mr. Justice Karl Harrison, in dismissing the motion in April this year, said that the boards of management were required to carry out government's restructuring policy in order to bring staffing in line with established teacher/pupil ratios. He said the respondents were not acting in breach of the rules of natural justice and there was statutory basis for the restructuring.
The President of the Court of Appeal the Hon. Ian Forte, Mr. Justice Seymour Panton and Mr. Justice Algernon Smith are hearing the appeal.
The teachers are from the Haile Selassie High School, Belfield All Age School and Edith Dalton James High School.
Respondents are the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Attorney-General.
