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GTU knocks Ministry for lack of consultation on subject-capping, other decisions
“No circular should have been sent out until all of the stakeholders are satisfied,” said President
GTU President, Mark Lyte
of the Guyana Teachers’ Union [GTU], Mr. Mark Lyte, when he commented on a decision by the Ministry of Education to limit the number of subjects students will be permitted to write at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate [CSEC] examinations.
Despite reports from several teachers that, based on the circular, students of senior and junior secondary schools will be limited to 10 and six subjects respectively, both Minister of Education, Ms Nicolette Henry, and Chief Education Officer, Mr. Marcel Hutson, assured that there will be an exception to the rule in cases where students prove to be high achievers.
But Lyte is adamant that the Ministry should not have even introduced such a rule without first consulting and gaining feedback from stakeholders.
“There is a circular out that talks about how many subjects should be done, but the union [as a major stakeholder] was never involved in any process, even though in essence, we agree that there should be some capping for children, except for those who are exceptional.
We have not been involved in any consultation process or even consulted on the matter, more than seeing a circular,” Lyte disclosed.
In fact, he is suspicious that because of the evident controversial undertone the matter has aroused. “Now, I think…the Ministry is trying to seek an audience with the union to address it.”
Lyte pointed to at least two recent circulars from Central Ministry that suggest decisions were made without consultation. He made reference to one that deals with teachers’ release to attend the University of Guyana and that of the cap on CSEC subjects.
Regarding the release of teachers, Lyte said, “I think they had some consultation among themselves on how they could regulate the release document, but [at the least] after the document had been completed, then we should have been asked to sit around the table, because remember, we are interacting with our teachers, we hear their cries.
“But we were not consulted and the document went from Central Ministry to the regions, got into the schools… where schools are now asked to supply information on teachers’ release to university. They want to call us after to sit and talk, but what are we to sit and talk about when it is already out there?” Lyte asked.
As he continued to share his concerns about the lack of consultation, the GTU President reiterated, “There was no discussion, absolutely none! Those things never came to the table for discussion and we have brought this to their attention on several occasions. At our last meeting with the CEO, we had brought this up…that these things keep happening.”
It is the conviction of the GTU President that the Ministry’s decision to involve the union, at times, is merely an afterthought.
“They would sit at their forums and come up with their ideas, but there is not enough mutual respect for the GTU coming from the Ministry holistically,” he underscored.
Lyte observed that while some within the Ministry seem to have an aversion to consultation with the union, there are some who are still keen on involving the union as far as possible.
“I don’t feel there is general consensus in the Ministry to see the union’s involvement as unimportant or not critical to some decisions, but they have to recognise that you can plan everything that you want to plan, and if you don’t have the people who actually implement this to buy into what you are proposing, then it will go nowhere,” Lyte underscored.
He added, “I think over the years that has been the problem, you implement something without the union’s involvement and blessing, and therefore it is not going to work. This is not something that we can actually pass on to our members as being essential for the forward moving of education.”
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