Roopnarine Tewari stayed and served, a patriot whose main focus was always national development

“I never entertained the thought of migration, because I have always been a patriot and have always been for national development.”

These are the words of Deputy Chief Education Officer (DECO) Mr. Roopnarine Tewari, who is at the twilight of what was a challenging but rewarding career spanning some 36 years of service both as a teacher and education administrator.

The nationalistic spirit, he said, was developed during the pre-independence period when Guyanese were treated as second class citizens by their then British Colonial masters.


The Tewari family: At left, Ramlata, her dad Roopnarine (with granddaughter, Renuka Dasrat in hand), his wife Tikadia, his eldest daughter Vedya, his mother commonly known as “Moddo”, and his son Omkaar. The other person is Vedya’s husband, Satrohan Dasrat.

This experience and to some extent National Service, had inspired him to stay in Guyana and serve her interest in delivering and later administrating the delivery of education, a vital tool of change and necessary ingredient for national development.

A humble, cheerful, yet firm looking Tewari, who told the Guyana Chronicle that he never wanted to make teaching his career as he was interested in technology, but the feeling evaporated after several years being in the profession.

The 54-year-old educator, who hails from the quiet village of Industry on the East Coast of Demerara related that he had experienced the joy of seeing “learning taking place” and the success of his students at their examinations, the real fruits of his persistent and industrious efforts.

The medium built administrator, who speaks in a gentle but commanding voice, began his career as a 17-year-old industrial arts pupil teacher at the Kingston Industrial Arts Centre (now the Kingston Practical Instruction Centre) in March 1973.

The profession in his early days

In those days, he said it was very difficult to obtain a job as a teacher as there was hardly any vacancy at schools in Georgetown and then East Coast Demerara.

He saw his only option as entering the Teachers Training College where the state provided loans to students.

This facility was also available to students desirous of pursuing studies at the University of Guyana.

And entry into these institutions of higher learning was very competitive; even the part-time General Technical Diploma programme at the University which he wanted to pursue in 1974.

The top Ministry of Education official related that many persons were on the waiting list for this programme and young people were urged to enter the full time programme.

At that time, Tewari said though he was not the sole breadwinner of his family, he was not in a financial position to leave the job and follow his dream, and so he decided to enter the Teachers Training College in 1976.

The teaching profession back was vastly different from what it is today. One had to be academically qualified to teach and teachers had to perform to save themselves from being frowned upon by their colleagues and even members of society.

Foremost too, teachers had to be prepared, regular and punctual at school, and the Urgent Private Affairs (UPA) leave was only taken in cases that were absolutely necessary.

Seldom, he said, did a teacher exceed two sessions in UPA leave in a school year, as there was a strong sense of guilt leaving one’s class to be supervised by another teacher.

He stressed in instances where the leave was taken without prior notice, a brother or sister had to reach the school and communicate the information to the headmaster, as no less was expected because of the disciplined culture which exited then.

Change
This culture, the educator lamented, has been eroded today, partly because of the socio-economic problems of the state which have led to the migration of highly skilled professionals.

He said this situation has contributed to the prevailing negative approach to teaching and while there are still good teachers around today, they are only in the minority.

Tewari pointed out also that there are many teachers in the system who are academically qualified, but unfortunately, a large number is there for the money only.

Many teachers, he observed, seldom try to improve the livelihood of people by making a real difference in the lives of the students they teach, and this is one of the reasons the profession has lost its once envious prestige.

Head teachers, Tewari contended, like in the past, have to forge a vibrant relationship with their Parent Teachers Associations (PTAs) to restore some of the lost pride to the profession.

Head teachers and the PTA , he said, have a role to play in supporting teachers, efforts in the classroom, pointing out that this will go a far way in boosting their confidence and motivating them to perform.

Good teachers at the secondary level, he underscored, do not only deliver the content of their subjects, but also informs their students of current affairs both on the local and international arena, such as climate change and the global economic meltdown.

Tewari pointed out that these informal classroom discussions go a far way in helping students to better understand their country and also to make conscious and rational personal decisions.

Commitment and achievements
Coming back to the issue of money, the DCEO opined that while better remuneration will no doubt attract more qualified teachers in the system and improve students’ performance, teachers should not forget that when they join the profession, they made a commitment to the job and should honour that commitment.

Head teachers, he said, have to ensure this happens. The commitment expected from private sector employees, Tewari emphasised, is no different from that in the public sector (teachers in particular); except for the former, “when you don’t perform, you don’t get pay”.

Tewari who also taught at Cummings Lodge Primary from 1979 to 1988, underlined that fancy salaries would not come overnight. When he realised that his salary was inadequate after he had completed training college, he made the sacrifice to further his education.

The is the proud father of a son, Omkaar, currently a student at UG, and two daughters, Vedya Dasrat, who has followed in his footsteps, and Romlata Tewari, who is in high school. Omkaar gained admission into UG in 1981 where he successfully read for a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Geography, completing the programme in 1986.

Tewari who is not a wealthy man by any means, and still lives at his parents’ home with his mother and wife Tikadia, re-entered UG the following year undertaking studies in the Post Graduate Diploma in Education which he completed in 1989.

Still hungry to further his education and gain the competitive edge over his colleagues for senior positions in the school system, Tewari in 1992 undertook the UG Master’s Degree programme in Education, specialising in Measurement and Evaluation.

He successfully completed this in 1994 and a decade later he was sent by the then Minister of Education, Dr. Henry Jeffrey, to undertake the International Diploma in Planning and Administration at the National Centre for Education Planning and Administration in New Delhi, India.

His elevation in the school system started in 1988 when he was made Head of the Social Studies Department at St. John College; Deputy Head Master of Campbellville Secondary in 1991, and Head Master of Alleyne’s High in 1995.

He also served as Head Master of East Ruimveldt Secondary in 1996, and later at St. Rose’s High in 2001,and in June that very year, he was appointed Assistant Chief Education Officer (ACEO) Primary.

In December 2004, Tewari was promoted to Deputy Chief Education Officer (DCEO), a position he currently holds.

Nearing the end of his long, challenging but rewarding career, the top education official recalled the real test of his mettle came in 2004 when he was ACEO and had to “hold the desk” for the DCEO who was ill and the Chief Education Officer who was on leave.

This brief period stretched him to his limits but he never gave up.

Apart from his challenging and time-consuming job, Tewari is also a member of the Ogle Mandir and the Ogle/Industry/Cummings Lodge Needy Folks Group which hosts an annual Christmas event for the needy.

Speaking fluently, relaxed and occasionally swiveling in his modern and comfortable office chair at his office at 26 Brickdam, Georgetown, an enthusiastic Tewari, looking as though he can serve with the same vigor for many years to come, said he is also the Ministry of Education representative on the Low Income Housing Scheme Two project.

His role in that programme is to ensure the commitment to education is met in the housing schemes opened up under that initiative.

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