Govt. not investing as it should in teachers

Oct 05, 2009 Letters

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Dear Editor,
Many may disagree with me when I say that the government is not investing as it should in teachers.
They will ask me if I do not see the new state-of-the-art school buildings that are being built across Guyana; the hundreds of textbooks that are issued to schools every year; curriculum materials to enhance the learning process, and other physical interventions which have been made by the government over the past decades since our independence. But that’s not what I meant when I mentioned investing in teachers.
That’s exactly what this year’s World Teachers’ Day theme talks about: investing in our teachers which would in effect impact positively on the children that they teach.
Yes, teachers are trained by the government for three years at the Cyril Potter College.
They are given a small increase in salaries each year. They are given a few dollars to buy clothes and shoes every January, and they are given a vacation leave with full pay once every four years. Other than those I mentioned, there isn’t very much more that is done to keep teachers in the system in Guyana.
Much more can and needs to be done to invest in teachers. Nothing good can happen to an already shaky education system where the government is totally ignoring the needs of teachers.
In fact, more harm is done to delivery of education in the numerous schools across Guyana. Many teachers want out of the system, but many of them do not have a choice. As a result, their service to the nation’s children is somewhat diluted because of poor remuneration packages.
What will also happen is that the government will continue to train hundreds of teachers every year at CPCE and over half of them would migrate after their training.
But investing in our teachers means more than filling their pockets every month with fat salaries.
It is about how they are treated. Are teachers being treated well today? Do they feel wanted, treasured, loved, worthy or even valued at all?
Ever since I was small I always believed that teachers were special people.
I used my imagination after school in the afternoons while I was small to pretend I was a teacher. I would sometimes lash the posts and benches, even the chalkboard. I would do everything I envisaged my teachers doing. Other than the fact that doing what I did helped me academically, in my subconscious, it was clear that teachers were very important people.
They have fascinated me, from nursery to secondary school — even training college. Thank God I had very good teachers at my disposal. They all loved what they did.
Someone asked me the other day, what does a teacher do when he or she gets fed-up or confused with the job? I told her that that teacher should return to the beginning of his or her career. They should do some soul searching, to dig deep within themselves as to why they joined teaching.
Every teacher needs to do that ever so often. Always remember that the reason for being in teaching is not only for the money you collect every month but it’s a labour of love for the future of this country.
If building the nation by passing on knowledge and good morals to the younger ones then I don’t think that there is any nobler task that any other can perform.
Teachers must also invest in themselves if they are to be worthy men and women of their profession. They should constantly upgrade and update their qualifications and skills. They should never be comfortable at their current academic standings. It won’t be easy.
However, it would help us nowhere to always complain and criticise if we aren’t even willing to make the first move to help ourselves. And yet we expect others to help us.
I will stand up and defend the name of teachers in Guyana to the point. I will give them all the satisfaction they need. I will be critical of the government and those in authority.
But I will not condone those who have brought disrepute to this noble profession. I will not sit idly by when everyday many of Guyana’s children go home with little or no contact with their teachers.
We have a lot of work to do. The officials and government might only lend us a listening ear when we are doing everything which we ought to do. Maybe we have to clean up our act first and then ask for better pay packages and conditions. We are adults and need to behave better. I will not stifle my conscience and say that teachers are doing their very best in Guyana.
Many of them are not. Many are not serious about what they have set out to do. Maybe they need to return to the beginnings of why they entered teaching. If they entered teaching because they have nothing else to do, then they might as well leave the system. We cannot have people like those in charge of the future of tomorrow.
I have seen nationwide many ill-equipped persons functioning in the capacity of teachers. They are not ready to teach. And they are most certainly not ready to pass on skills and knowledge to young minds. Yes, I will not lie to myself and pretend that we teachers deserve it all, that we deserve the best treatment from the government. No we do not because many have given a bad name to the profession. Maybe that’s why more investment isn’t forthcoming.
But I beg the public not to judge us all by those few. While nobody is perfect (even teachers), maybe more investment in teachers can remedy this problem. Today, on World Teachers’ Day, I salute every single teacher in Guyana. Your contributions towards the national development of this country are well lauded. Some teachers are really working and trying very hard despite everything. Never take the jobs that you do as teachers lightly or for granted.
Let us ask ourselves, when asked, why so many children respond that they want to become like us — teachers, sirs and misses.
They see what we do through their innocent eyes; and that to them, weighs heavily on their hearts of a job so important, a position so high, a title so privileged of being referred to, a responsibility which is celestial in nature — that’s why they want to become like us — teachers. And that is how the desire to become a teacher starts. It is our duty to let them see how it ought to be done; how to master the most important job in the world.
It is good to note that an organisation comprising of retired teachers was recently formed in Berbice.
This is a good effort and example of teachers seeking to take care of themselves and each other. If we don’t look out for ourselves and each other, it’s apparent that nobody else will.
On this World Teachers’ Day 2009, let us teachers show this government and the people of this country that, despite meager salaries, poor working conditions, poor benefits and practically never getting thanks, we can still do our jobs with dignity, pride and in good service to the children of this beautiful country. We love what we do and do what we do for them and them only.
Leon Jameson Suseran

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