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Teachers to be placed on debunching scales from next month – GTU
As soon as next month, public school teachers should see themselves on specified salary scales which will serve to ensure that they are paid based on a combination of factors, including their years of service and qualifications.
This development comes on the heels of government, through its Ministry of Education, putting measures in place to pay teachers in a debunched format.
According to President of the Guyana Teachers’ Union [GTU], Mr. Mark Lyte, “This is something that we really hope will create a lot of satisfaction for our teachers. We have always had the complaint where everybody receives the same salary although you would have been trained before or started to teach before. That has always been a concern, but this process [debunching] will create that kind of space between teachers who have different years or experience.”
The Lyte-headed executive of the union was since 2015 advocating for teachers to be paid in such a manner because of the many complaints. Moreover, in its proposed multi-year package, which was submitted to the Education Ministry in 2015, the need for teachers to be paid debunching monies was recommended.
The request, which was also made before under the former regime, was pretty much disregarded, and it was anticipated that with a change of government, the monies would have been swiftly forthcoming.
But the union and its membership were highly disappointed by what was perceived to be a slothful approach to dealing with the proposal. However, following several industrial actions and the intervention of the Ministry of Social Protection’s Labour Department, the union and the Education Ministry were last year end, able to reach a compromise for a salary and non-salary package for teachers, which included the payment of debunching monies dating back to 2011. Government agreed to pay teachers a one-off lump sum of $350M, after which teachers will be paid on respective scales.
GTU President, Mark Lyte.
Lyte told this publication that “the debunching lump sum is being paid in many regions, and in some regions I believe it has been completed. That kick started the process of debunching of teachers where they are placed on scales. We are happy that the Ministry of Education has honoured its promise, and right now they have circulated a document to schools across the country to get personal information [years of service and qualifications] for teachers.”
According to Lyte, with this development unfolding, it is expected that “by April, teachers can be placed in their respective scales and begin to receive those debunching monies due to them each month.”
“Teachers are usually placed on a scale based on qualifications, when you started and so; but what happened is that when you are placed in a scale then everybody is bunched up at the bottom of the scale. But a scale would have a range, so it provides an opportunity for persons to move along based on their years of experience at that status,” Lyte explained.
Lyte divulged too that, “It is important to note that every two years somebody will move along the scale. For the first two years a teacher will move along with an additional increment which will vary between $2,500 and $3,500.”
“When you finish eight years you will move to the top of your scale and it is anticipated that by then persons will move to another scale in terms of promotion or whatever…So it will be hardly likely to find people on the same scale after eight years in the system,” Lyte added.
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