ALLOW THE PROCESS TO RUN ITS COURSE

Feb 24, 2009 Peeping Tom

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A few years ago the Guyana Teachers’ Union signed an agreement with the government for annual 5% increases in wages and salaries for teachers, and for a quota system of duty-free concessions for headteachers, amongst other benefits.
I expected that teachers would have revolted over that 5% clause which was later shown to be ridiculous since in one of the succeeding years, the government itself was forced to top-up that 5% because of runaway inflation. The teachers however did not turn against their union and there were only muted criticisms of the agreement.
The government has since capitalized on the situation and has consistently offered workers in other sectors of the public sector just or around the same 5% figure. The 5% clause therefore set a precedent which has affected all public sector workers, and that is unfortunate.
The Guyana Teachers’ Union has interestingly not suffered any fallout from this agreement.  There was never a revolt by teachers over the agreement negotiated by their union, which limited annual salary increases to five per cent in an economy where over the past few years we have had inflation rates as high as 14%. The teachers also did not alienate themselves from their union.
On the contrary what we are now seeing is the very opposite with even Parent-Teacher Associations and schoolchildren joining the GTU in offering support to a teacher who was suspended for allegedly whipping close to thirty children for not submitting their assignment.
If the teacher in question did find it necessary to institute corporal punishment to so many students, then it is clear that the problem extended beyond the affected children, who are now ironically joining the protest action to demand the reinstatement of the teacher.
If the reports are true that a large number of students were subject to corporal punishment for not completing their assignments, then it would seem as if the problem extends beyond the classroom and the parents themselves of those children should be asked for an explanation as to why the assignment was incomplete.
This is not to exonerate the actions of the teacher. If the policies of the Ministry of Education in respect to corporal punishment were breached, then the right procedure should be followed and there should be an investigation. The findings of that investigation should then be forwarded to the Teaching Service Commission for their decision as to what punishment – if any – would be instituted against the teacher.
The Guyana Teachers’ Union should be strongly condemned for the precipitate action it is taking in respect to the teacher. And so too should those who are supporting the industrial action in Berbice. The teacher cannot simply be reinstated in her job.
The statutory body responsible for disciplining a teacher is the Teaching Service Commission and it is that body which has to effect any disciplinary action.
I do not expect any teacher who breached the rules concerning the administration of corporal punishment to go unpunished. But this also does not mean that the punishment would necessarily be dismissal because the Teaching Service Commission would have to weigh the consequences of any punishment against the record of service and performance of that teacher and may very well settle for lesser forms of punishment such as a strong reprimand, suspension or demotion.
Those supporting the industrial action in Berbice are doing the wrong thing. They are making a huge mistake because they are suggesting that the question of disciplining a teacher should be undertaken by the Regional Education Officer. This is a dangerous precedent to set because the statutory body to discipline teachers should not be the regional education office or even the Ministry of Education but rather the Teaching Service Commission.
I therefore agree with the Minister of Education that the matter has to be dealt with by the TSC. To do anything otherwise would be wrong. And this is why it is unfortunate what is taking place.
I believe strongly that any teacher who has flouted the rules of the education ministry should be disciplined after due process has been followed and I believe that the punishment must fit the offence. I deplore the actions being taken in Berbice which we are told could be extended further, and I hope that the Teaching Service Commission would not be intimidated or influenced by these actions, but would objectively consider the matter which will be laid before them.
In the meantime, I would urge those engaging in what has been described as misguided actions, to cease their protests and allow the established procedures in place for the consideration of disciplinary action to run its course.
The ongoing industrial action in Berbice sets a dangerous precedent and can undermine the confidence in the system, something that would be far more unsettling to teachers than the 5% annual increase which teachers receive because of the agreement negotiated by their union.

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