AFC proposes $100,000 pay hike for teachers

Oct 06, 2022 News

– Norton says their mental well-being should be a matter of priority

Kaieteur News – The Alliance For Change has proposed a $100,000 across-the-board hike in salary for teachers and Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton said the mental well-being of teachers should be a matter of urgency as Guyana joined other countries in celebrating World Teachers Day on Wednesday.

“Today in Guyana, we join hands with all Teachers and their Union to celebrate their day. In doing so, we reflect on the theme “Transformation of Education begins with the Teacher,” Norton said in a message to mark the occasion.

He said in observance of World Teacher’s Day on October 5 every year, “we celebrate our teachers as we take into account their hard work and dedication, their commitment to nurturing the minds of our pupils despite the challenges they face on a daily basis.” Norton said one of the immediate challenges today, is to recognise that they are not only expected to deliver the curriculum or impart knowledge as we commonly expect but they are required to also function as advisors and more recently counsellors. “We acknowledge that our teachers and the teaching fraternity suffered tremendous loss of life as the COVID-19 Pandemic took many of our loved ones. It is traumatic for our teachers and students to congregate as a class or as a school and acknowledge their loss and continue to plan for the years ahead,” Norton said.

Teachers over the years have struggled with low remuneration and have had to protest on numerous occasions for basic salary increases

According to him, it is, therefore, imperative that our teachers too need advisors, Counselors, and more particularly a clean, comfortable, and caring work environment. “I wish to state for emphasis that the mental well-being of our teachers should be an emergency priority as it is just as important as any other indicator of success in the education system. Today, we celebrate the innovative methods our teachers are using to bring about success in our schools. It is an opportune time to be mindful that our success depends tremendously on the support from our educators in helping to nurture our nation’s children. We, therefore, salute our teachers as we recognize and appreciate their efforts in contributing to nation-building.”

$100,000 pay hike

Meanwhile, for its part, the Alliance For Change (AFC) observed that this year’s theme: “Teachers at the heart of education recovery,” addresses the very essence of the major challenge facing our nation. The AFC said it is especially relevant as schools have recently reopened to full face-to-face learning after being affected for about two years by the global COVID-19 pandemic. “The recent images of students in tents, others without desks and packed together uncomfortable on benches show clearly the sad and atrocious conditions under which teachers are forced to work. This is compounded with poor salaries, victimisation, and deplorable living quarters for those working away from home and an arrogant political directorate,” the party added.

According to the AFC, the COVID-19 pandemic took its toll on the delivery and access to education and many students were unable to access online learning and many more families found it challenging to provide computers, access to internet service and have children supervised during the hours of online classes. “But, regardless of these challenges our noble teachers, both in the public and private institutions, worked diligently to produce remarkable results. The Alliance For Change thanks you for your efforts and extends heartiest of congratulations.”

The AFC said the challenges of the COVID pandemic also brought opportunities and showed us that our educational system is capable of doing more. “We saw the utilisation of online learning and the development of materials to facilitate this mode of education delivery. These are lessons not to be discarded but to be built on. The Alliance For Change is pleased to see that the present government is continuing the programme initiated by the Coalition to provide breakfast and books in schools and more recently a bus to aid with transportation. The AFC hopes that there will be more of this. It is pertinent to note, at this point, that the Coalition provided government internet access to over 200 primary and secondary schools and the creation of over 250 ITC hubs with free internet across Guyana. The AFC also takes this opportunity to reiterate its call for the return of free university education; and on this World Teacher’s Day for an increase in wages for Teachers at a minimum of $100,000.00,” the statement concluded.

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