VICE PRESIDENT, Dr. Bharrat Jadgeo, has reaffirmed that the Government of Guyana is progressively working to address “anomalies” for the adjustment of salary scales for teachers.

During a press conference last Thursday, the Vice President said that the administration is looking at salaries in a holistic way to fix the “anomalies that were there for a while.”

“What we are thinking about is that we want our teachers to be trained. So, we are moving to get all of our teachers trained. And then there should be salary gradation based on years, in-service…and also on qualification,” Dr. Jadgeo said.

For example, the Vice President said that if a teacher makes the effort to get a Master Degree, his/her salary must reflect same and not on the same level as a teacher with a First Degree.

“So, we are still looking at that. We have done it for the other sectors and a couple of other areas in government, the health sector, a couple of areas where we are looking at this same issue…The agenda is heavy, but it is something that is actively engaging the agenda of the government,” he added.

The government is currently engaging the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) on the matter. Last December, President Irfaan Ali announced that several categories of public servants will get salary increases and assured teachers that their increase was guaranteed

The salary scale of health workers has been addressed, resulting in over 5,000 persons benefitting from a disposable income of over $1.5 billion annually.

Additionally, ranks of the Guyana Police Force, Guyana Fire Service and the Guyana Defence Force have benefitted from a $1 billion annualised increase to their salaries.