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Stalled teachers’ promotions…GTU continues appeal for court ruling
The promotion of public school teachers who were eligible for promotions last year and this year
GTU President,
Mark Lyte
remains in limbo. The matter is one which was initiated by an injunction filed by the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) to halt the promotion process of the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) and the Ministry of Education’s Schools Board Secretariat for 2015.
The reason for the injunction was to force the two bodies to review their process of promotion. While the Schools Board Secretariat had adhered to the injunction, the TSC decided to fight the matter in court. The matter was heard before Chief Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards in the High Court.
The matter was concluded months ago and the two sides have since been awaiting a decision.
Teachers have become impatient. The GTU is moreover faced with the concerns of the teachers and has been appealing to the powers that be to hasten with the ruling.
According to GTU President, Mr Mark Lyte, “We continue to wait after many months for a decision from the High Court.”
Lyte noted that the Union is concerned about the slothfulness of the judicial system in treating with a matter that is of importance since it essentially puts people’s careers on hold.
The GTU President lamented that a ruling has not been handed down even after efforts were made to seek help from several avenues, including ministers of government.
“Letters were written to them seeking their intervention for a speedy ruling…Our calls have essentially remained unanswered,” said Lyte. “We are hoping that by the end of another year – 2016 – the Chief Justice will make her decision whichever way so that those persons whose careers would have been put on hold can move on.”
It is the expectation of the GTU President that once the ruling is eventually made, it will be in favour of the GTU thus allowing the teachers whose promotions are stalled to be prompted retroactively.
Teachers however have been expressing fear that some of them will be denied promotions they are eligible for. “As we wait, teachers’ lives continue to be on hold…” Lyte had complained earlier this year when he had started an appeal for the ruling to be fast-tracked.
“We can’t fight the system, we can’t tell them how to operate but the ruling could only be for or against and we are prepared to abide by whatever it is and move on. We are worried at this point about why it is taking so long,” the GTU President had added.
According to Lyte, the GTU was merely seeking to have the teachers promoting bodies review the process of promotion rather than proceed with finalising a preliminary list.
But Chairman of the TSC, Ms. Leila Ramson, had disclosed that the process would have been too tedious for her staff.
She had, however, committed to having all of the concerns of the GTU addressed during the promotion process this year.
However, since there was no promotion last year, the process has also been stalled for this year thus resulting in no teacher being elevated for 2015 and 2016 thus far.
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