World Teachers Day observance... Education Ministry lauds teachers, GTU calls on Govt. to respect them

World Teachers Day observance… Education Ministry lauds teachers, GTU calls on Govt. to respect them

Oct 06, 2018 News

Public school teachers on the picket-line.

Minister of Education, Nicolette Henry and other officials yesterday heaped praise on the nation’s teachers, even as the Guyana Teachers Union [GTU] called on government to respect them.

The remarks were made during celebration of World Teachers Day, with the GTU and Government at odds over salary increases for teachers and indications of further strike action.

In expressing appreciation for the nation’s educators, Minister of Education, Nicolette Henry, said that “your selfless contributions as educators, coaches, counsellors and disciplinarians who work tirelessly to prepare our human resource can never be understated.”

Currently, the public education system has some 10,500 teachers spread across the 11 education districts.

In recognising the role of these teachers, the Minister remarked that “it is no secret that teaching is one of the noblest professions and it is through your commitment and dedication that the human resource: past, present and those to come can stand as independent thinkers and positive contributors to this country and the world at large.”

According to the Minister too, teachers are the ones responsible for the early development of the impressionable minds as well as the ones tasked with keeping them interested in being better versions of themselves.

This year, World Teachers Day is being celebrated under the theme: “The right to education means the right to a qualified teacher.” Moreover, Chief Education Officer, Marcel Hutson, underscored that education is a key fundamental right and establishes an entitlement to free compulsory education, ensuring inclusive and equitable access for all children. As such, he noted that “this year’s theme serves to remind the global community that the right to education cannot be achieved within the right to trained and qualified teachers.”

Hutson amplified that, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation [UNESCO], “World Teachers Day represents a significant token of the awareness, understanding and appreciation displayed for the vital contribution our teachers made.”

As he considered that teaching is the profession that creates all other professions, Hutson highlighted that teachers are the ones who essentially have the responsibility of making the difference in a nation.

World Teachers Day is observed across the globe each year on October 5.

Even as the education officials express their sentiments, the Guyana Teachers Union [GTU] through its President, Mr. Mark Lyte, was yesterday calling on the Education Ministry and by extension government to respect the nation’s teachers.

“Show respect to teachers, honour teachers; show appreciation for the work we do,” he demanded as he too recognised their importance. As he highlighted the importance of teachers, Lyte noted, “World Teachers Day 2018 for teacher educators in Guyana finds us in the struggle with our employer – the Ministry of Education. At the centre of the dispute is the quest for better salary and non-salary benefits.”

For months, public school teachers through the union have been demanding a 40 percent across the board increase which government has not been willing to pay. The wages and salaries dispute had caused teachers from across the country to strike and later saw the Ministry of Education calling for the Ministry of Social Protection through its Labour Department to institute its power of conciliation. The GTU had however insisted that it would only encourage its membership to end strike action if the Education Ministry agrees to arbitration under the chairmanship of a neutral arbitrator.

Although the Education Ministry accepted the union’s proposal, the two sides are yet to agree on the members of the arbitration panel. Instead, Minister within the Social Protection Ministry, Keith Scott, has even moved to appoint a Chairman of the panel, a move, which has since incensed union to agitate its member to resume strike action.

According to Lyte, teachers can attest to the challenges faced daily in trying to make ends meet; however, they are committed to moulding the nation’s children so that the next generation can contribute to Guyana’s development.

The importance and value of a teacher, he added, is often underestimated. Moreover, he observed that, “little attention is given to the true worth of the teacher’s contribution simply because the work is seen as little or insignificant by the ordinary man.”

“The teacher is a counsellor, caregiver, mathematician, psychologist, doctor, nurse, lawyer and the list goes on. The relationship established between the teacher and his/her student is second to none. Many students enjoy a better relationship with the teacher compared to the parent,” Lyte added.

Moreover, the union President is urging that government not only verbally appreciates the work of teachers but demonstrate respect by swiftly moving to pay them a liveable wage.