GTU calls on Education Ministry to retract ‘supervisory memo’

Oct 20, 2017 News

The Ministry of Education recently sent out a memorandum to schools across the country, with clear instructions that they are expected to supervise children during their lunch break.
The memo has efficiently managed to cause much frustration for teachers and head teachers of several schools and resulted in the Guyana Teachers’ Union taking a stance on the issue.
President of the Union, Mark Lyte yesterday announced his dissatisfaction on the memo at a press conference, while saying that it takes away the lunch break that teachers are by law entitled to.
He explained that teachers usually break for lunch around 11:30hrs to 12:30hrs or 12:00hrs to 13:00hrs. It is during this period of time that teachers are now mandated to ‘supervise’ pupils and students.
This, he said, in itself is a breach of the laws of Guyana. Lyte made reference to the fact that teachers as well as other employees are entitled to at least an hour lunch as well as a short coffee break.
He stated, “This is direct contravention of the labour law which says that our teachers, and all workers in general, are required to have breaks and usually the break can either be a coffee break, a tea break (or) lunch break in particular.”
Despite the supervision of children being conducted on a roster, the representative pointed out that teachers are very much in need of the break, since it helps them to prepare mentally for the upcoming periods.
Lyte said, “I want to highlight specifically that the breaks are there because it allows our teachers to get the necessary opportunity to recuperate from the mental and physical stress that they go through.”
He went on to say that he is asking for the Chief Education Officer to retract the memorandum and amend it, therefore excluding the lunch break out of the supervisory session.
It was pointed out that the very memorandum states that one teacher is responsible for 20 students/pupils.
This he mentioned is “unrealistic,” since classrooms currently have over this specified amount of children that teachers are expected to supervise. He shared that he was even made aware of a distasteful situation, whereby one teacher was managing over 70 students.
In this regard, the official said that the Ministry is reluctant to reduce the class sizes, although it will promote better management of children.
These new policies are birthed as a result of a recent incident where a six-year old boy died at an outdoor school activity.
The Ministry has since stepped up the game to ensure the safety of pupils and students while in the care of their teachers.
Chief Education Officer, Marcel Hutson, sent out a circular to schools sometime last month, with mandatory instructions of the act taking immediate effect.
The circular read, “The students must be supervised at all times during play and at lunch, while at school.” It further stated that a ‘schedule’ is expected to be developed, which will clearly state the responsible teachers for supervision over these periods, whether on a daily or weekly basis. “The rule of one teacher to 20 students must be observed if students are to be taken to any event/ activity outside of school,” the circular said.
Additionally, it sought to remind teachers and head teachers that parental consent must be sought whenever students are required to leave the premises of the school for any event.

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GTU calls on Education Ministry to retract ‘supervisory memo’

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