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GTU aims to address challenges facing teachers…as inaugural triennial conference gets underway
The Woolford Avenue Union Hall where the triennial conference is being held.
Deriving solutions to address emerging challenges that affect the work of public school teachers will be among the features of the Guyana Teachers Union [GTU] inaugural triennial conference. The conference commenced yesterday at the GTU’s Woolford Avenue, Georgetown Union Hall.
The conference, which has been split into three segments, is being held under the general theme, ‘Uniting teachers for social, professional, and economic advancement’.
Yesterday accommodated a Sports Engagement. The conference will continue with another forum spearheaded by the union’s Women’s Advisory Committee.
Speaking of the conference yesterday, GTU President, Mr. Mark Lyte, disclosed that the decision to host the triennial conference was conceptualised and agreed upon at the union’s biennial meeting which was held in Bartica back in 2016.
“What we have done this time around is to have separate dates for our Sports Conference, our Women’s Conference and at the end of those two conferences this week, we will then go into our general conference from April 23 until April 26,” Lyte shared.
The general conference will be held at the same venue and, according to the GTU President, “What we hope to accomplish during this triennial conference is to deliberate on the general theme ‘uniting teachers for social, professional, and economic advancement’.”
The conference is one drawing attendance from delegates from all 42 branches of the union, which spans the entire of Guyana. According to Lyte, “During those days, we will be discussing the way in which the union has been able to deal with the business of education.”
“We will be discussing what are some of the social, professional, and economic challenges that have surfaced in the profession and the way in which we have been able to deal with those and we will also be looking at ways in which we can advance the general social, professional, and economic status of our teachers who are the implementers of the curriculum,” the GTU President informed.
In so doing, he said, that the union has invited a number of stakeholders to a number of crucial organisations to participate in the conference. Among those that are expected to be in attendance are representatives from: the National Insurance Scheme [NIS], the Guyana Revenue Authority [GRA], insurance companies, the Teaching Service Commission [TSC] and the Ministry of Education. The representatives from these organisations, Lyte said, will deliberate on various issues of concern to teachers on allotted days and, according to him, “we hope to have a very informative conference and it is hoped that coming out from the conference many decisions will be made.”
“The conference is the highest decision making body for the GTU so we hope that many important decisions taken will aid the work of the GTU,” said Lyte.
He said, too, that the conference will seek to address a number of other issues including some related to the current remuneration agreement the union inked last year end with the Ministry of Education.
“We want to see the issue of School Boards addressed, conditions of work for teachers, we also hope to look at areas like mental health because the pressure of the job can cause a lot of mental health issues for our members,” Lyte underscored.
He added, “We hope those will be addressed and we will also look at the upsurge of abuse from parents and students [meted out to teachers] and the issue of suicide and how we can provide training for our teachers to deal with those things when they surface.”
Even as he considered the work that the union has been doing, Lyte yesterday appealed for teachers to continue to support the union as it seeks to find more ways and means to enhance their working condition and remuneration package.
“We say to all Guyana that education is a major priority for the union and so we are working along with other stakeholders, so all the issues that will be discussed will be focused on the impact of everything put in place on the learners and on the education sector,” Lyte added.
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