Strong objections to the installation of parking meters outside of public schools are expected to greet the Georgetown Mayor and City Council later this week when the Guyana Teacher’s Union (GTU) meets the local government body.

This is according to President of the GTU, Mark Lyte, who told this publication that the union does not and will not support any adjustment to the parking meter fee for teachers. The rate announced is $50 for 15 minutes and is expected to take effect from January 23.

What this means is that teachers will be required to pay approximately $1,250 per day or $25,000 per month for parking, since the meters have been installed around some schools in Georgetown.

And according to Lyte, the union is strongly against this move, since it places a great burden on teachers. He said in light of this, GTU is expected to meet with the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) this week where he will propose that the parking meters be removed.

“Teachers are upset about this move and we [the union] do not agree with it either; to have parking meters at schools and have teachers pay to park. Teachers shouldn’t have to… it is wrong” the union’s President said.

And indeed teachers are upset about this. This newspaper spoke to two teachers from the Bishops’ High School, where parking meters have been installed, and both objected to the move which they too contended, would be “burdensome.”

Candyss Pauldon, a Science teacher was the first to register her concern. Pauldon said she is aware and understand fully that City Hall need to raise revenue. However, she finds it hard to understand why the council would want to charge teachers, who are public servants, working for the government and the state.

“It makes no sense to me because it’s like you’re asking teachers to come to work, but to come and do their work, they have to pay. Does that make sense?” she questioned rhetorically.

The Bishops’ High School teacher said that even though reports are that teachers will get a discount, even that doesn’t make sense because it comes back to the fact that they are asking teachers to pay to do their work.

As such, she issued a call for authorities to reconsider the introduction of this fee, not only at school, but all government ministries and agencies where public servants will be affected.

Economics teacher Coen Jackson also expressed his reservation with the parking meters, noting that “it is going to be a problem.” He explained that the average teacher with a Bachelors’ Degree earns about $100,000 a month and the parking meter will incur a cost of $25,000 per month, which represents about 25 per cent of their salary.

“That is ridiculous” he said.

However, cognizant of the fact that the council has to find ways of generating revenue, Jackson, unlike Pauldon believes that some form of concession needs to be granted to public servants.

He revealed that staff of the Bishops’ High School have proposed building a parking lot in the school, but this is not an alternative for other schools which lack space to develop same.

With regards to City Hall and its management of finances, the economics teacher said that there are things that the council will need to spend money on and so they are justified in attempting to raise revenue in a way which will not pose hardship on the average Guyanese.

However, he pointed out that the issue is whether the local government body is spending more than it should.

“Are those monies being allocated in an efficient way? I don’t know. City Hall has been a disaster for many years. I don’t know when last they had an audit so we know nothing about revenue collection and revenue allocation,” he lamented, adding that this is the practice with many public corporations and it is a culture which nobody seems eager to change.