In-service, Pre-service CPCE teachers in Essequibo are treated poorly

Apr 20, 2022 Letters

Dear Editor,
Lecturers taking the E-Learning system as a hide and seek profession and teachers facing the consequences. The Cyril Potter College of Education is a higher education institution in Georgetown, Guyana. The school’s main campus is in Turkeyen, with an additional training session in Anna Regina. “It provides a coordinated and integrated approach for formal teacher training education in Guyana; to effectively and efficiency train teacher who can function in Nursery, Primary, and Secondary school throughout Guyana and to provide opportunities for teacher educators to be engaged in independent or collaborative research and professional development activities, and capacity building for para professionals.”
Hence forth, the pre-service and in-service teachers still continue to suffer educationally with E-Learning and the indolence and apathetic behaviours of lecturers attached to the Region #2, Essequibo Centre. We, as teachers, have to cope with these unacceptable behaviours of these lecturers, they fail to arrange online sessions or meeting with teachers who are there to be trained. They scarcely attend classes even if they do arrange a meeting either by Google meeting, zoom or by using any other platform. And at the end of the term or semester, we have a final examination to write whether we were lectured to or not and also achieving a 50% pass grade. Isn’t this injustice to us teachers?
Moreover, it appears to be that our teachers don’t have a say anymore, and we have to tolerate this behaviour of our dear lecturers, although our head office in Region 4 and center office in Region 2 Essequibo located in Cotton Field in the same compound with the Department of Education are cognizant of this behaviour. Our In-service and Pre-service heads of the college sit down with their hands fold and ‘x-feet’ on this matter.
These lecturers are being paid one of the highest salaries in the education profession and yet they fail to perform the way they should. Is this how our education system has turned out to? Why are these lecturers being paid that much?
Approximately 60% of teachers attached to the Anna Regina Centre are suffering, official figures have confirmed what we all know, that the cost of living rises faster than it has for some time. And with information gathered from a survey conducted on college teachers across Essequibo, 65% of teachers do not even have internet service installed in their homes, while those with internet service face a fluctuation in internet connection. With that, many teachers have no other choice but to always activate a monthly data plan, just to be part of online classes, which have been enforced since 2020 due to the pandemic. Many teachers made sacrifices and continues to do such, just to be part of the classes and lecture sessions. The Pre-service teachers are not being paid a salary while they still make it their priority to seek for small jobs to gain a stipend to activate data plan and buy materials for college which include assignment materials etc and also to support themselves.
Unfortunately, while many will say E- Learning is more effective and sustainable, I strongly believe it is not at all times, especially in various areas or villages on the Essequibo Coast such as in the Pomeroon River and those hinterland areas where electricity and internet connection seem to be a major problem. And again, lecturers don’t value the time and sacrifices of teachers who are trying their best to be part of these online classes. For a period of one month and counting, the linguistics lecturer attached to the Anna Regina In-service Centre has ceased from sending any work with no significant reason. First year In-service teachers (primary) have never, ever received any link for online classes in the above course and for the benefit of persons who do not know, linguistics is a very challenging course. Without the explanation or discussion from a lecturer, it will be very difficult for teachers to cope with the course. English Proficiency has been a treat to teachers also with similar problems, with the lecturer in charge of the Pre-service and In-service Primary. For a period of approximately 10 weeks, the English Proficiency Lecturer has only lectured or keep a Google meet session trice with a time frame of 5 hours out of 20 hours. With these numbers, it is clear that our lecturers are sleeping in bright day light.
Yours truly,
Aaliyah Rose

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In-service, Pre-service CPCE teachers in Essequibo are treated poorly

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