Is Education in Guyana in the Emergency Room?

Feb 12, 2020 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR,

Teachers will always represent a significant resource as part of national development in any country and Guyana is no exception.
In some ways, public education in Guyana is in the Emergency Room, and in need urgent need of being seen. It is in need of a large dose of competence, compassion and commitment. Over the years, there have been many prescriptions ordered, but sadly, only few have been filled.
Let us attempt to ascertain the reasons underlying this unstable existence.
From the outset, there is some perspective that is needed. During my years of attendance at school, I had great respect for my teachers. They imparted knowledge to me in a way that was both firm and fun. I was excited to go to school each and every day. Thanks to Isaac Theophilus Henry from Ithaca, Berbice – Head Teacher of St. Ambrose School.
This attitude towards school and teachers was given to me and my other siblings by our parents. We never heard them talk negatively about our teachers, and likewise never was any negative conversation about teachers entertained in our home, not even among ourselves.
Equally important, was the fact that our parents believed that education led to getting better opportunities. Teachers in our community were held in high regard. They were pillars in our community and we always wanted to please them. They conducted themselves in a certain manner, dressed a certain way, and therefore earned the respect they were given.
Teachers back in the day wanted to be teachers. It was not their second or third employment choice. It was their first choice! They went to Training College, and with great intention, trained to become teachers. They had been around enough role models that they could emulate and gain good teaching habits. I eventually became a teacher. My high school, Central High, had great teachers. The men and women there showed what it meant to be a teacher. I often think about Miss Pollard, Mr. Houston, Mr. Victor, and the influence they had on my life and the lives of others.
If you attended St. Ambrose Anglican School, Central High, The Bishops’ High, Queen’s College, you have similar stories. The teachers in those schools charted a pathway of success for us, and we simply followed the blueprint. They gave us “book learning”, but they also taught us how to become good people. They talked with us about goals and how to achieve them. Those “back in the day” teachers gave us hope and encouragement each day.
Our parents were always on the side of the teacher. Why? Elementary, Watson — Because they trusted them and saw the positive results they were making in our lives. Parents and teachers had the same goal, and that was to make us successful. Sadly, there are many teachers who carry the title, however they are not worthy of it. They have become teachers for the wrong reason. As a result, it shows in their in-class performance.
Nomadic teachers come to school thinking about something else and wanting to be somewhere else. Little learning and a lack of caring take place on a regular basis. Interactions with parents are never good, because the blame game is always in play. Teachers blame parents and parents blame teachers. In the meantime, children are suffering educationally. At the governmental level, if education reform processes are to succeed then teachers’ needs and perspectives should be at the heart of decision-making.
The challenge of ensuring high morale levels in the teaching force is critical to the achievement of quality education. If those who are stakeholders in shaping the future of the nation are disregarded, it stands to reason that such an attitude will play out elsewhere viz: the classrooms. Our young students are languishing in classes where teachers do not want to be, and this may in part be due to the way in which the government treats teachers.
On Monday September 4, 2018, the first day of the new school term, over 4,000 teachers in Guyana went on strike, some taking to the streets to express their displeasure with the government’s position on salary increases. The strike ended on September 6, with the Ministry of Education and the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) agreeing to send their industrial dispute to arbitration.
The growing disrespect for teachers is nothing new; in fact, it may appear as if the public regards them in the same level of unimportance as the government, manifested in the number of teachers who are physically assaulted by parents or guardians.
In 2012 at the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) third Biennial Conference, two Berbice teachers appeared before the then Minister of Education, to recount stories of being physically assaulted by parents in the classrooms at their respective schools.
Surprisingly both teachers were pregnant at the time of the incidents, with one eventually suffering a miscarriage.
Last November, a Grade 1 teacher attached to Winfer Gardens Primary School was assaulted by a parent who claimed that the teacher struck her child on multiple occasions.
Reports state that the parent, disgusted of the constant complaints by her son, marched into the school compound and accosted the teacher, resulting in her sustaining injuries to the face, and having to be taken to the hospital for medical treatment. The encounter took place in full view of other students at the school.
No longer can the government allow classrooms and playgrounds to be converted into battle zones, with students and parents being pitted against teachers. Changes to the system and structure are not only essential, but needed immediately. Additionally, concerted efforts should be made to ensure positive representation of teachers and education via media and communication channels.
If teachers feel valued for their role as educators and receive professional respect, they then feel capable of carrying out their role effectively with the provision of adequate resources. While the focus and contention may centre on the aggression of the student or parent, many other factors may be equally important to examine or address.
Aleuta – The struggle continues.
Yvonne Sam

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