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Determine root cause of high teacher absenteeism – Coretta McDonald
Kaieteur News- General Secretary of the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU), Coretta McDonald has called on the Ministry of Education to determine the root cause of high teacher absenteeism.
McDonald in an interview with Kaieteur News on Friday was responding to a statement by Minister of Education Priya Manickchand on Wednesday that disclosed the levels of teacher absenteeism.
Manickchand, who was speaking at an event at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE), disclosed that teacher absenteeism has been recorded at 30 to 40 per cent daily.
The minister pointed out that even schools with 100 percent trained teachers have not seen corresponding improvements in student outcomes while calling for a “cleansing” of the education system.
Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand
Notwithstanding, the minister pointed to personal challenges, like maternity leave, as contributing factors.
“Then we have syllabus is not being completed, we have pass papers that you are not giving to your children. I mean the system has to be better than that because for us accountability doesn’t mean what Ashni Singh (Minister of Finance) uses it to mean, he talks about money,” Manickchand said.
She continued, “That’s not what I am talking about for us, accountability means the difference between a child thriving as an adult … and a child struggling in a labour- intensive type of job where people can treat them poorly because they don’t even know their rights, they can’t read them.”
However, McDonald described the figure as alarming and said that the Ministry’s response shows a lack of planning and understanding of the root causes behind the issue.
“If teachers are absent then you have to go to the root cause of the problem, if absenteeism is a problem you have to go to the root cause of the problem and many, many times if you were to go to the root of the problem, then you will recognize that the problem is with the Ministry of Education themselves,” she told Kaieteur News.
She argued that absenteeism cannot be solely blamed on teachers and stressed that the Ministry must take responsibility for the conditions that contribute to the high rate of absenteeism.
McDonald specifically pointed to unsafe school environments as a major factor. She mentioned the recent issue of the infestation of pigeons at the Charlestown Secondary School, which had created an uncomfortable and unsanitary environment for teachers.
General Secretary of the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU), Coretta McDonald
She related, “If teachers are not comfortable in their places of work, then they will not attend work.” She also raised concerns about the overall state of school facilities, including unsafe buildings, lack of resources, and inadequate amenities like electricity and water.
“You have schools where, electricity is a problem, water is a problem and so these are all issues or factors that will create teachers’ absenteeism. You going to schools, you have unruly children to deal with and you can’t discipline them that’s another concern and so they are several factors that would amount to teachers being absent from schools,” McDonald said.
She further criticized the Education Ministry for not addressing these issues in a constructive manner. “The big stick approach won’t solve anything,” she said, arguing that the ministry should be working closely with teachers to find solutions rather than assigning blame.
McDonald proposed placing teachers closer to their communities to alleviate transportation issues, improving school safety, and providing necessary resources to reduce stress and improve teaching conditions.
Furthermore, the GTU General Secretary also highlighted the importance of understanding the diverse challenges teachers face, such as long commutes, personal issues, and the pressures of managing large classrooms.
“So, when you want to throw all the blames on teachers… that teachers going to school and they don’t teach the classes, classes are left unattended, how do you teach a class when you don’t have enough text books? How do you teach a class when there isn’t enough light? How do you teach a class when there isn’t enough furniture? You are in a crowded space,” McDonald argued.
She concluded by calling on the Ministry to be more proactive in addressing the root causes of absenteeism, stressing that teachers need a supportive environment to succeed.
(Determine root cause of high teacher absenteeism – Coretta McDonald)
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