…as more schools reopen amid strike action

AS more Linden teachers took to the streets in protest action on Tuesday, more school doors were opened even as the Region 10 Department of Education dispatched more Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) trainees to the various schools across the township.

More volunteers and retirees also joined the team and were dispatched to secondary schools, including Mackenzie High School (MHS). Trainee teachers were well dressed Tuesday morning, to be transported to the various schools, as substitutes for the hundreds of teachers who for the second day, clad in white t-shirts, marched the streets of Mackenzie in a lively picketing action, before assembling at LICHAS, where they were addressed by General-Secretary of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) Coretta Mc Donald.

Some schools, such as the Amelia’s Ward Primary School, had up to six substitute teachers; three trainees and three volunteers. Other schools where substitute teachers were dispatched include: Regma Primary School, Mackenzie High School, Mackenzie Primary School, Watooka Nursery School, West Watooka Nursery School, Coomacka Primary School, One Mile Primary School and the St Aiden’s Primary School. Most of the volunteers were placed at secondary schools. One volunteer even joined the three teachers at the Kwakwani Secondary School, where two teachers turned up for duty. The nursery and primary schools in Ituni were both closed, as well as the nursery schools in Kwakwani. Three teachers however, reported for duty at the Kwakwani Primary School.
Parents and children affected too

Joining the hundreds of teachers, were also scores of parents and other residents who too are urging the government to meet the teachers’ demands. Parents also expressed their frustration over the situation. One parent, Janella Brown, told the Guyana Chronicle that her twin boys are very upset that after two months of vacation, they cannot turn out to school, after anxiously awaiting the commencement of the new school term.

Brown is calling on the government to remedy the situation since her sons are in Grade Four and are preparing for the National Grade Four Assessment. “My sons have their exams coming up and they should be in school preparing for it, but they are still home and all the time they are asking, mommy when are we going to school,” Brown related. She expressed her position on the matter and said she believes the teachers are not being unreasonable in their demands.

Another parent, Louis Simon, said the strike is unfortunate. He said the teachers have a right to strike since they are the ones educating his children. “If you don’t treat them well, how do you expect them to treat our children? I believe that we should stand behind the teachers with this one,” he said. When asked whether he believes funds are available to meet the demands, Louis responded in the affirmative and said that the issue lies in the government being afraid of the chain effect that would come from meeting the teachers’ demands, since all public servants would want same. “What they need to find is some middle ground where they can now balance the whole entire public system,” he noted. He said teachers should be more appreciated, given better working conditions and should be given recognition when they work hard and achieve success at NGSA and CSEC.

Not in support

One of the brave teachers, Douglas Gittens of Mackenzie High School, who is turning up to duty and not in support of the strike, said that he believes that soon the government, as promised by the President, will find some way to resolve the issue amicably. Gittens said he does agree that teachers deserve a raise in salary but what is demanded by the GTU, will cripple the economy. “I feel teachers do deserve a raise in salary, but some of the things they are looking for, are not possible at this point; we have to look at things like balance of trade in a country. [An] increase like this would cripple an economy; this is not something that is fair to a still fairly new government, we have to be patient. I still think we need to show them a lot of patience, we went through 23 years of hardship, for the 17 years, the most I would have received is when APNU+AFC took over; it has always been 5% increase. I have gotten 8% in the first year, with a one-off payment of $50, 000 that has never been seen in this country. Right now it is not possible and that is why I am not in the strike action,” Gittens said.

We will stay in the streets
Meanwhile, McDonald urged the teachers to stay in the streets until they are paid properly. She also asked them to keep the faith and remain unified in strike action, since they are not paving the way for themselves, but for the trainee teachers as well. She said the 40% is just a proposal which is negotiable and GTU is willing to talk around it. McDonald reminded the teachers that they cannot take care and selflessness to the banks to pay their mortgages and to the supermarkets and so the issue remains a bread-and-butter one, that they will fight for. The teachers pledged to continue the protest action, for the rest of the week.