Latest update November 29th, 2024 1:00 AM
GTU voices disapproval at slow pace of execution
Education Ministry promises to teachers
Minister of Education, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, has said that the Ministry is currently trying to deal “with the sluggishness of things we would have agreed to.”
Minister of Education, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine
This was in relation to the recent concerns voiced by the Guyana Teachers’ Union, over the slow pace with which the Ministry deals with the benefits they would have promised, such as duty free concessions and debunching monies.
Sometimes, said Dr. Roopnaraine, “Bureaucracy sometimes breeds this sluggishness.” Despite this, the Ministry is reportedly trying “to accelerate the rate to which these benefits are dispensed.”
The Minister said that it is a concern for the Ministry as that, coupled with the “pittance” teachers receives aids in the high turnover rate in the profession.
“We can’t continue to underpay and undervalue teachers and expect them to perform.”
The Minister said, “We need to deal with the question of remuneration issues and benefits.” It is hoped that areas of benefits available for teachers can possibly be expanded in the near future. This, he said, will hopefully lessen the high turnover rate of teachers as, “Until we can really take hold of this whole situation with the teachers, we won’t be advancing in the education system.”
At a recent press conference hosted by the Guyana Teachers’ Union, the General Secretary, Coretta McDonald, revealed that of the 46 Head and Deputy Headteachers eligible to receive duty free concessions since 2009, only 16 have thus far been approved by Minister of State, Joseph Harmon.
She related that while the union is happy to have those 16 persons receive what was promised to them, there are still 30 more persons to be looked at and the process is much too long. It should not “take such a long time to have this process completed. We should have this whole process of duty free completed when we submit names in a matter of two weeks. We shouldn’t have this long drawn out period between the Ministry of Education and GTU,” said McDonald.
She added that “(the union) has had a battle over the years ensuring our Headteachers and Deputy Headteachers are afforded their duty free concessions, which battle is now in place.”
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