Chief Education Officer targeted- Patrick Yarde

May 27, 2010 News

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The Ministry of Education was instrumental and complicit in the post of Chief Education Officer not being filled during the period when Mrs. Genevieve Whyte-Nedd was acting in that position for more than four years). This is according to the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) president Patrick Yarde.
According to Patrick Yarde, Mrs. Whyte-Nedd first applied for the post of Chief Education Officer in March 2006 in response to a Public Service Commission advertisement of the vacancy.
The Public Service Commission then sought the reaction of the Ministry of Education to the filling of the vacancy.
Yarde stated the response of the Ministry was, “… be advised that the Ministry is in the process of restructuring the Education Department.  As such, please hold on to the filling of the vacancy of the Chief Education Officer until this exercise is completed”.
Yarde disclosed it is his understanding, view and expectation based on experience that matters of the restructuring of a ministry would inevitably be a matter of policy and engage the attention of the relevant Minister and Cabinet.
“As far as we are aware there was no withdrawal of the moratorium on filling of the post of Chief Education Officer or any other position in light of the directive issued by the Ministry.  Therefore, vacancies such as those of Assistant Chief Education Officer (Primary),  (appointee B.S. Ali); – Principal Education Officer (Georgetown) (appointee M. Hutson); Education Officer II (appointee T. Girwar); Education Officer I (appointee I. Bridgewater); Education Officer I (appointee A. Arjoon); Education Officer I (appointee D. Persaud); Education Officer II (appointee S. Williams); Education Officer I (appointee S. Grant); Education Officer I (appointee A. Chindu), were filled.
“Were there prohibitions against the filling of vacancies in light of the restriction articulated by the Ministry no such action should have been taken.  Therefore, it is difficult to understand why the position of Chief Education Officer was targeted for such treatment,” Yarde said.
The GPSU President said that the position proffered by the Ministry in respect of the position of Chief Education Officer was merely a guise to exclude Mrs. Whyte-Nedd from consideration for appointment to the post.
It was conveniently used as an excuse to the detriment of Mrs. Whyte-Nedd who had been serving in that position in an acting capacity for over four years.
He revealed, the statement of the Minister that he had no influence or involvement in the failure of Mrs. Whyte-Nedd to be appointed to the post of Chief Education Officer is contradictory, and the Minister stated “that appointments to positions within the public service including that of the Chief Education Officer, are not within the authority of the Minister of Education”.
Yarde explained it is alarming and unconscionable that the Administration would feel no remorse or express regret in utilizing and effectively exploiting her services for such an inordinately long period of time without displaying the decency that she enjoy what she has fully merited.
More so, since there has been no negative or adverse reports on her during her tenure as acting Chief Education Officer.
Further, in filling certain vacancies in the Ministry by the Public Service Commission there was a marked pattern of excluding Mrs. Whyte-Nedd from contributing to such exercises.  Rather, her subordinate, the Deputy Chief Education Officer is generally preferred and substituted for Mrs. Whyte-Nedd.
The GPSU president said that in violation of established protocol the Minister routinely bypasses Mrs. Whyte-Nedd in favour of her subordinates on matters falling within her jurisdiction and which should legitimately engage her attention.
All of this, it should be noted, occurs in the Ministry of Education, which has the national mandate to mould and cultivate minds.  Clearly there is the absence of sensitivity to the implications of discrimination and immoral conduct, which this case portrays.
“Mrs. Whyte-Nedd’s case is particular grievous since there has been agreement in principle, and it has been the practice, that where a public servant is appointed to act in a vacant position and the officer is fully qualified to fill that position that he/she should be automatically appointed to the vacancy after three years of acting in that position.  This has been clearly violated in the case of Mrs. Whyte-Nedd.” Yarde said, “On our previously articulated position we have briefed our legal advisors and instructed them to initiate legal action in this matter.”

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