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New Education Minister must revise ‘rehiring of retirees’ policy – GTU President
The strategic placement of young and intelligent individuals must be one of the priority areas that the new Education Minister must direct keen attention.
Newly-appointed Education Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine
This is the conviction of President of the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU), Mr Mark Lyte, during an interview with this publication.
This particular area of focus, he noted, is imperative in order to reduce the number of officials who have retired and have been rehired to hold senior positions within the sector.
According to Lyte, while there is a place for retired officials, when they are rehired in the capacity of senior officers it often serves to stymie the promotion of qualified young persons who with guidance, can take up leadership positions.
“We know that education is evolving and you have to put in place new strategies and plans to deal with the present education system we have, and if you are set in your old ways then obviously you will be left behind,” said Lyte, as he insisted that “we want to see young intelligent people being deployed in strategic positions within the education sector.”
For this reason, Lyte said that there is need for a revision of the policy for rehiring retired personnel for management positions.
“Rehiring these persons is good, but they should not be coming back in a managerial capacity,” the GTU President asserted.
He intimated that currently in many Regions, and even at the Central Ministry level, there are a number
GTU President
Mark Lyte
of retired officials who have been rehired in managerial capacities.
And the political appointee who will be faced with the proposal of the Union is Dr Rupert Roopnaraine. The professor of Comparative Literature was on Wednesday sworn-in as the new Minister of Education under the coalition A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Government.
And it is already the hope of the GTU President that the new Minister will collaborate well with the Union, and by extension, the teachers within the public education sector.
This is in light of the fact, Lyte noted, that “the Union plays a very important role in organising and helping in terms of training for our teachers. So we would like to see the Union and the Ministry working collaboratively.”
Hours before the country was informed of Dr Roopnaraine’s appointment, Lyte in an interview with this publication expressed hope that the person taking up the education portfolio would be someone with a wealth of experience from the school sector. He had even expressed optimism that the appointee would be one who has been through the education system and brings to the office the associated experience.
In essence, Lyte said that the sector requires “someone who understands the challenges in and out of the classroom; someone who understands what teachers face, especially with the children of today.”
And according to the GTU President, the Union will be supportive of a Minister who is prepared to implement policies to boost the education system.
“So this is not only about someone who knows how the school should be managed, but someone who is willing to work in implementing policies that are going to enhance and boost the school system,” Lyte added.
The Education sector, he insisted, is in need of a Minister who is very bold and strong when it comes to making needful management changes both at the central and regional levels.
This is particularly imperative, Lyte said, “because a lot of the problems that we find, as teachers, emanate from the behaviour, attitude and practices of education officials at both the central and regional level…We would like to see changes there where competent people and people who have education at heart are placed there to carry out the mandate.”
From all indications, Dr Roopnaraine possesses the necessary qualities to take the education sector forward. And it is expected that he will have his work cut out for him as he juggles the Education Ministry as well as responsibilities for Culture, Youth and Sport.
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