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This country has to treat teachers with a better pay system

Dec 11, 2015 Letters

Dear Editor, 
I wish to refer to an article published on April 18, 2015, filed under Kaieteur  News captioned  “ Granger plans to curb the exodus of teachers by increasing salaries, if elected”. At the time when this article was published, Mr. Granger was the presidential candidate for the APNU + AFC party. In the article  it stated  Granger was asked, “If your party is elected to serve the people of Guyana, what policies will your administration implement to ensure that teachers, and other key public servants are properly compensated and motivated to perform their services?”
In his response, the Coalition’s Presidential hopeful stated, “I have always been saying that, at this point in Guyana’s development, teachers should be the best paid public servants. The nurses didn’t like it, but we are not going to turn the education system around if we do not attract the best teachers.”
Granger explained that this does not only apply to teachers at the primary and secondary level, but involves lecturers at the University of Guyana, Cyril Potter College of Education and other post-secondary educational institutions. He added, “We have to get the finest Guyanese” to mould the minds of students.
He went on to say that he has travelled the Caribbean, and has discovered that the teacher of the year award would usually go to Guyanese teachers, who migrated so that they can receive better salaries for the job
“… The teacher of the year in Barbados is Guyanese and it’s most likely the same in the Bahamas and Belize. Teachers have been fleeing Guyana because of the poor conditions and the only way we can retain them is by providing better conditions. But right now that is not happening…” Mr. Editor those are the words of President David Granger. The President said that “teachers would be the best paid public servants “, I wonder which year in the future he was referring to. The salary that a trained teacher works for cannot maintain one person muchless a family. Was this a false promise? The President said “Teachers have been fleeing Guyana because of the poor conditions”, I agree with him fully.  He further stated that “the only way we can retain them is by providing better conditions “. It’s been over 180 days now since the new government took office and yet still it can be questioned, where are the better conditions to retain teachers? Why is it that teachers were given an increase in salary with effect from July 1?
Did the teachers start working from July 1 this year? Apart from that, the increase can’t even buy a shoe for the teacher. This isn’t about politics, this isn’t about race. This is about giving our teachers what they really deserve. I have seen teachers fixing their chairs like puzzles in the morning before he/she sits to mark the register. Is this really a good working condition to retain our teachers?  Certainly not! I humbly request the President along with the Minister of Education to visit the schools in Berbice particularly the East Bank schools and see the poor conditions that teachers work under. Also, I wish to implore these Government officials to deliver to the teachers so that they can be retained and they will continue to mould the nation’s children.
Primary School Teacher
( Name supplied)

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