Most ECD schools closed as teachers strike bites

Feb 10, 2024 News

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Kaieteur News – Schools on the East Coast Demerara closed their doors on Friday as underpaid teachers keep up their strike action against the Irfaan Ali-led government that has refused to pay them better.

Friday made it five days since the teachers are on strike and government is yet to meet their union leaders to listen to their concerns.

Instead, the administration has dug its heels in, accusing teachers of not showing up for classes in normal circumstances and comparing their salaries with those of their counterparts in the Caribbean and private sector.

Additionally, while playing down calls for the government to meet with the Guyana Teachers’ Union, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo sought to punch holes in the union’s internal affairs, alleging that it has not submitted audited statements for years and accusing its leaders of being biased.

Kaieteur News on Friday made tours to several schools on the East Coast Demerara to assess the situation and found out that all of the schools have been severely affected by the strike action.  At the Golden Grove Secondary, the few teachers who turned out did not even bother to teach. “I came today, because I was out the other days…most of my colleagues are on strike,” one teacher at the school told this newspaper.
During prime teaching hours, the few students who showed up were in the yard playing football.

Some of the female students used the free time to catch up with their male counterparts. “My mother told me to come to school…she said strike or no strike, I have to go school,” a student commented, hiding his face. He said that he has been at school every day despite the strike. “Them children hardly coming and them teachers not really teaching…we have nothing to do,” he added. Asked for his opinion about the strike, the student said the teachers should be paid better. “I don’t know their salary, but they calling for more money and they should get it…teachers work very hard,” he added.

Business slow

Still at Golden Grove Secondary, two vendors who ply their trade there said business has been slow all week. “The teachers and students ain’t coming out …but the few who come they would buy, but things not as bright,” one of the female vendors related. She told this newspaper that the strike has affected her sales. “Lots of the things I make I have to take them back home, because the children not coming out…this thing is affecting us.” Asked whether she supports the strike action by the teachers, the vendor answered in the affirmative, noting that they need a bigger pay. “Everybody wants a bigger pay…the cost of living is very high, so I have to support them. I have friends and cousins who are teachers, most of these teachers here would come and support by stall…so I support their action,” the vendor said.

Gate, classrooms closed   

Across at the Golden Primary School, located in the heart of the village- some classrooms were closed with just a handful of students in the school. “The teachers them staying away…they are on strike,” a security who refused this newspaper entry in the school related. She said for the entire week most of the teachers stayed away and parents also kept their children at home. “People hardly coming…it’s the strike…” the security guard said.

At Victoria Primary, around 1.30pm the cleaner was seen sweeping and mopping up. School on a normal day concludes at 3pm. Asked why no one was at school the cleaner said: “The teachers dem gone home…even the children dem ain’t coming.” Asked whether the attendance was good during the week, the cleaner, Samantha Curry said no. “Poor attendance all week…and the children not showing up.”
This newspaper caught up with a parent of a student of the school. She said she did not send her daughter to school because of the strike. “The teachers are on strike and when I pass here…I am not seeing anything happening at the school,” the parent commented.

At St Andrew’s Primary, neighbouring Victoria that school was also severely impacted by the strike. Although the doors and windows were opened, there were no pupils. This newspaper could not enter the compound. There was no visible sign of any work being done.
Additionally, the situation was the same at several other schools on the lower East Coast Demerara. Enmore, Paradise, Bladen Hall Multilateral, Buxton and Friendship as well as Annandale were all severely impacted by the strike. Most of these schools were closed even before the normal cut off tie of 3pm. A teacher from Bladen Hall related that most of his colleagues are on strike and the students have also stayed away from school. “Nobody is going…both teachers and students; people are in solidarity with the teachers. This government has to be better and the things the Vice President saying will only get the teachers more angry,” the teacher commented.

Unbothered

At a news conference on Thursday Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo said he is the least bit worried about teachers from communities deemed to be strongholds of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) being engaged in the strike. Responding to a question as to whether he was concerned that there has been large turnout of teachers in PPP’s strongholds, Jagdeo said that some persons have been misled by the union. “Many don’t see it (the strike) as political and that’s their right too and I know that many of them will go there but they will vote PPP at the end of the day so I’m not too worried about that. We are not victimizing anyone because you go on the strike but I want them to understand that this is a political strike.” He continued, “I am not worried about it. I know workers are being encouraged. I know of two cases, where the leadership of the unions, have been consulting with the PNC to try to get workers from other areas to go out, but if that happened, we will have to deal with it if people want to move politically.”

He claimed that the government has met about 60 percent of the union’s demands as it relates to creating better working conditions for teachers, although the teachers said the strike is not about non-salaried benefits, but rather a substantial pay increase. “Not everything has to be about wages, it could be about training of teachers, scholarships for teachers, it should be about housing for teachers.  The 100 billion we spend on house lots, teachers will also benefit from that, the roads we build for communities, teachers will also benefit from that…”Jagdeo told the press conference.

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• Business slow, classrooms closed, East Coast Demerara, gate, Irfaan Ali-led government, neighbouring, St Andrew's Primary

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