Latest update March 23rd, 2025 9:41 AM
Latest News
- ExxonMobil dodges question on whether operations can lead to cancer, other diseases
- Govt., and Opposition MPs a no-show at Exxon’s public meetings on 8th project
- Trump revokes legal status for 530,000 immigrants in the US
- Over 200 affected after fire destroys section of Critchlow Labour College
- Govt. issues order to acquire more land for Gas-to-Energy project
GTU embraces Granger’s notion of “no place for untrained teachers”
“There will come a time when there will be no untrained teachers in the public education system,” said President of the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU), Mr. Mark Lyte, recently.
Lyte’s remark comes on the heels of a declaration by President David Granger that there is no place for untrained teachers in the public education system.
“We are hoping to encourage all of our teachers who are not trained to get themselves qualified once they wish to remain in the system, because there is no doubt we must have trained teachers who are better equipped to implement the curriculum,” asserted Lyte.
Once teachers embrace the importance of being trained they will be on course to ensuring that the system only has the services of trained professionals, he said.
If a teacher is not qualified he or she has a temporary employment status. This therefore means that their service could be terminated at any time. There is however no stipulated period by which a temporary teacher must elevate his or her academic status.
GTU President Mark Lyte
“Their service could be terminated at short notice and providing that we have enough trained teachers in the system, the Ministry can move to get rid of them and simply inform that there is no longer a need for untrained teachers because they are temporary,” said Lyte.
In order to address the training issue, the GTU President has recognised the need to make training more accessible to teachers. This, he noted, is especially important for teachers in the riverain areas.
“The riverain areas are the most affected…Some teachers there are desirous of being trained but they are not getting the necessary opportunities,” Lyte explained. He has also touted the need to offer incentives to train teachers in order for them to be attracted to hinterland and riverain schools.
“We have a lot of unqualified teachers in those schools because nobody wants to go there…there are no incentives to leave your home and go into those places. We feel that the Ministry (of Education) has to come up with more attractive things to get trained teachers in those areas, and I think that would solve the problem in a great way.
“They have to provide things like better housing, transportation, incentive for promotion, higher allowances,” said Lyte. He disclosed that because of the unwillingness of teachers to venture into some locations, schools have in the past had to be closed.
At a recent GTU forum President Granger observed that despite not having the adequate qualifications, about 1,700 untrained teachers were recruited during the period 2012-2015. This has translated to an annual average of 433.
“This suggests that a significant number of untrained teachers still exist within the system even as a large number of trained teachers are leaving (for various reasons),”the President added.
But according to him, “We need to think of career teachers who will remain in the system and would want to be trained in order to fulfil the requirements of the profession.” He therefore stressed the need for training.
“Why do you think parents would want to send their children into classrooms where over 1,700 teachers are untrained? You are begging for trouble. There is really no place for untrained teachers in the education system.”
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
Teen arrested over uncle’s murder after sharing burial plan with relative
Kaieteur News- A teenager of Tabatinga, Lethem, Central Rupununi, Region Nine was arrested for murder on Friday after he... more
The Caribbean: Destined to Grin and Bear the Consequences of Its Self-Created Vulnerabilities?
By Sir Ronald Sanders For decades, many Caribbean nations have grappled with dependence on a small number of powerful countries... more
Weekend Cartoon
