We have finally recognised the problem which has been looming for decades

Feb 21, 2011 Letters

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Dear Editor,
It was quite an astonishment that I have read that the Government of Guyana is seriously thinking about recruiting overseas trained teachers (OTT), in an effect to improve science and mathematics education in Guyana.
In addition, I was checking the online newspapers on a daily basis ever since so as to see the views expressed by some notable letter writers on educational issues. To my dismay, none appeared and I therefore wish to contribute, however little to this issue.
First, I must applaud the Government for finally recognising that we have a problem which has been looming for decades and trying to solve this problem which is a national issue since it affects all our children. Yet, it should be realised that this is only a short term solution – data from major recruiting countries show that this problem won’t go away by recruiting OTT.
The need for OTT is one affecting both developed and developing countries. Ever too often we hear of recruiters from the north flying into the Caribbean and swooping away our prized assets. Although this problem spans continents, the reason is different for each country. Increase population growth and retiring in the US and UK, diseases in Botswana, low morale and financial rewards are some of the major driving forces for the movement of OTT.
This issue which is at hand in Guyana needs to be analysed from varying perspectives. We cannot completely blame Bahamas and the US and UK recruiters for a lack of math and science teachers in Guyana. In fact, the cabinet secretary himself admitted that there are other factors such as an increase in the number of students in schools. (Perhaps someone can check these stats over the past 20 years and see if it can be a factor while Guyana’s population has remained around 750,000 + 25,000!)
Barbados has taken steps to stop recruiting their math and science teachers by simply not supporting requests from overseas recruiters in these subject areas. Jamaica has protocols and agreements with recruiting countries for financial compensation. South Africa is one of those countries which lose teachers at an alarming rate yet South Arica has an institutional support that continues to produce a sufficient supply of teachers. So what is wrong in the Guyana situation?
Ever too often, the Ministry of Education (and the government by extension) is reactive. Proactiveness, creativeness and vision are missing and perhaps stifled – everyone tows the line fearing to be labeled a trouble maker or to be on the bad side of someone above them.
To do so is a detriment to your promotion or worse yet, you’re sidelined. If the ministry of education and cabinet is absolutely sincere (and I hope they are for the children of Guyana, I wish them all the best) in solving the need for science and math teachers, there has to be a fundamental change in their thinking and ideology of the purpose and rationale of the education in Guyana.
Their attitude and behaviour towards education and educating the nation have to be in conformity with what is spoken at press briefings and in the SOPs.
To begin to permanently solve this problem, we need planners and visionaries whose only goal is the advancement of learning to suit the needs of Guyana. We need people who are allowed to say this aspect of the system needs changing and/or support from the ministry and here is the best way to do it or this method isn’t giving results so it should be discarded.
Often, this is not the case. Even if such a report is produced, someone wouldn’t like it and it would be shelved as so many recommendations in various sectors in the country. And are we wondering why we aren’t moving forward as a nation of vast resources? Until the government isn’t ready to hear the hard cold facts and findings, nothing will change and the only plausible solution would be to recruit OTT!
Planners need to recognise that teaching isn’t lucrative as it use to be in Guyana. Like it or not, teachers are no different at wanting their needs, wants and aspirations fulfilled. We all follow Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. However, teaching in Guyana may just be sufficient to fulfil man’s physiological needs and the few obtain personal satisfaction knowing for a fact that they will be poor for the rest of their lives. What an irony for the person who nurtures and fulfils the needs of nations!
The problems in the Guyana scenario is all about retaining and attracting new teachers into the profession. To retain teachers, they need incentives to stay in Guyana. Honestly speaking, would you stay in Guyana if you’re getting an annual uniform allowance, if you’re so often told that your salary has been increased by 500% since 1990, or told that if they go to the interior they will have an interior allowance…? The bottom line is teachers can’t provide their families with their needs, wants and aspirations on their present salary. Therefore incentives must be provided to retain these teachers who will migrate wiwith their whole families with the sole intention of providing a better education and quality of life for them.
So how about some real incentives, allow their children to write the CSEC exams free of cost, allow their children to go to the University of Guyana for free, give teachers house lots and interest free loans to build a home – don’t just preach it to them, DO IT! Provide tax refunds based on family size (and your parents are your family as long as you maintain them). Sounds interesting? Yes, to start with, it does. Teachers would be most willing to sign contractual agreements with the government as long as it’s a win-win situation for them. We need more action and less talking in order to keep our teachers. Perhaps we can after all learn from Australia and New Zealand.
And if you’re wondering how you can do so given the budget constraints, then it’s not rocket science that there is huge loss of tax collection from businesses that don’t pay taxes to the state. Explain how on earth majority of businessmen in Guyana pay a meager amount to the GRA which is less than the taxes paid by teachers. Go after these real criminals and help keep teachers in Guyana.
If you live in North America and you get caught on tax evasion, then chances are you’re going to prison after seizing of your assets and even your family’s home.
To attract teachers to the profession, students finishing a degree in Natural Science should be a great target of the ministry of Education – this is true recruiting! Employ them as soon as they are finished and train them within the first year via CPCE distance education. Most persons would be quite happy to sign a contract for four years providing there are some financial benefits to their employment.
An arrangement of serving four years in lieu of their fees at the university would be quite attractive and this is dependent on their performance in the schools. This is a wonderful idea, but do you know that the biggest obstacle is how long it takes the TSC to appoint the teacher?
They have completed their BSc so get them in schools for the first day of the term. TSC always bring up the lame excuses about they have to receive vacancy lists from REdOs of each region before they can proceed with employment.
Yet, when efficiency is required for personal reasons, it can be obtained at lightening pace. Look how fast the results on election night is sent to the parties’ headquarters but when it comes to the real need of the nation – their education, it happens at snail’s pace! It’s so sad that schools will only receive teachers halfway through the term at the loss to students’ education and exams. Do you honestly think there is a need to recruit OTT if a lucrative offer is provided to the recent graduates of the Faculties of Natural Sciences and Technology? This is what Canada and many European countries do. Adopt such strategies and retain the brilliant minds that Guyana possesses.
To solve this problem on a long term basis, we need to take a deeper look into the education system as to just exactly how is science (and math) taught in schools, starting in the primary schools. Science is discovery, science is fun, science is observing, science is extrapolating, science is hands on, and science is concrete. Yet, this is not how science is taught. Most teachers teach science as abstract ideas which rely on complete imagination and cramming in order to pass the end of term test. So we suck the fun and the discovery out of science.
Ever wonder why students don’t choose the science stream or science subjects? The approach to teaching science needs to be changed. We need active learning in the classrooms but how can we have actively learning with 40 students in five different grades six through nine classes. Class sizes need to be reduced to no more than 25 to make it work.
Students will love and better appreciate science education and guess what, there are going to be few in the set who will love it so much that they will be willing to return to the profession to do the same for their students. Now, imagine if this model is followed by all schools in Guyana, do you honestly think we need to recruit OTT in five years time? Never, instead, we may be better than South Africa. How can brilliant minds in science and math spring forth from schools that don’t even have the basic equipment and materials necessary for simple experiments. Is there any primary school with science equipment as basic as a thermometer?
I taught in a secondary school and I had to go to the nearby school to borrow burettes and thermometers because the school had none. In fact, it was only when a VSO came to the school and heard about our passionate pleas that she applied for a grant and she graciously bought the department various physics equipment needed to teach at CSEC level.
In Guyana, we have the institutions that can supply the need of the ministry of Education. However, a lack of collaboration and common goals of these institutions has results in this problem at hand although these institutions have the sole aim of generating and improving education as a whole. These institutions are CPCE, UG and NCERD. I will begin with CPCE. First, incentives must be provided to students out of high school to enter CPCE and not only at Turkeyen Campus. Other campuses should also offer pre-service training – Linden, Rose Hall Town, Anna Regina (?). These pre-service teachers should be given a stipend of about $40,000 a month to at least cover their travelling and basic needs and of course free uniform.
They would be expected to be in a school at least one day every week to assist and get hands on experience in the profession. Again, this is vision which spans form secondary schools and flow into CPCE. Second, the science curriculum at CPCE is, sadly to say, a complete utter waste of time.
How can you teach CSEC chemistry to teacher-trainees and you expect them to go out and prepare students for CSEC? At least, they should cover the year 1 CAPE syllabus so as to be ready to teach Physics, Chemistry and Biology to grade 10 and 11 students. It’s no wonder that most science teachers after completing their training opt to teach Integrated Science and Biology.
Let’s take UG and more specifically Berbice campus. It is with absolute amazement that one finds out that the Government of Guyana wants to recruit OTT yet for years the Berbice campus doesn’t have a science and math option for teachers who are in the education programm. Teachers who were trained in science and math in CPCE have to take Social Studies and Administration as their options. And in addition, there is a second campus in Berbice that specialised in Science education!
In Guyana, this is what is recognised as vision and this is how the need for science and math teachers is met. Then NCERD. With all the different units at NCERD, are you telling me they can’t provide the necessary training to teachers to cope with the needs of students in science and math in Guyana?
A need which can instill in students a deep sense of likeness and appreciation for science and math so as to guarantee students returning to schools as science and math teachers down the road.
Take a look at the text books that students share in groups in schools. To begin with, many schools don’t have textbooks. The science texts are riddled with scientific inaccuracies and sometimes, the text doesn’t conform to the curriculum guide provided by the ministry of Education. These entities have to work together in unison so as to cater for the needs of the present generation, after all aren’t they accountable to the same Minister of Education?
Also, it would be highly unfair to teachers in Guyana and students finishing CSEC and the University of Guyana to have teachers come into Guyana and take up potential jobs. Would these teachers be paid the same US$300 a month like trained teachers in Guyana? Would they be given other benefits not presently provided to local teachers?
If so, it may actually create more of a problem than a solution. Locale teachers’ morale would suffer and this is going to be more of a reason to seek the fertile grounds of the beautiful Bahamas or the greenback. Actions have repercussions. And we see the consequences of the action (or should I say the inaction!) of not encouraging math and science education in schools – turning to recruiting OTT!
So in conclusion, while recruiting may relieve the temporary needs of the ministry of Education, it will not and cannot solve the fundamental issues affecting the teaching profession in Guyana – how to retain and how to attract new qualified individuals into the noble profession of teaching.
Aslam Hanief

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