-says over 28 actions taken by ministry to improve lives of educators; 25 out of 41 benefits requested by union granted

MINISTER of Education Priya Manickchand has called out the Guyana Teachers’ Union for its continued attacks on teachers who have voiced their support against today’s intended strike which was planned by the union.

In posts on her social media page, the minister pointed out that while she has said openly that teachers have a right to strike, the union along with opposition members have been bullying and trying to embarrass teachers who have chosen not to strike.

The minister’s comments comes amidst continuous calls by GTU officials asking teachers across the country to down tools today.

However, since this call, several teachers have taken to social media expressing their opposition to such a move, noting that they will not participate in the action.

One such teacher from the Leguan Secondary School in his post spoke about significant positive changes that have been made in the education sector thus far.

He noted that parents and teachers have offset the significant burden with the cash grants that are being distributed and he even added that with several administrative changes, the reduction of records has aided in easing stress off of teachers.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, Manickchand said, “I am the minister directly responsible for education and I have said openly that teachers have a right to strike once the conditions are met. The GTU, APNU+AFC and their friends, on the other hand, are out here bullying and trying to embarrass teachers who choose to exercise their right NOT to strike.”

In a subsequent post, she highlighted that the union and their friends took to social media and were on the app “abusing” those who are choosing not to strike.

Further to this, Manickchand noted that neither the union nor the teachers could say that they asked to meet with the minister and the meeting did not happen.

Additionally, she indicated that the union has asked for 41 benefits, 25 of which have been satisfied. Of the remainder, she said that two pertain to duty-free concessions for the union executives alone among other issues, while another two are unlawful.

“We are still talking about the others. Indeed, as late as last Wednesday we sat down to talk about some of those at a pre-scheduled meeting,” she added.

With that, the minister indicated that the ministry of its own volition took more than 28 actions to improve the lives, capacity and professional standing of teachers and she further highlighted that the salaries of teachers have risen significantly over the years.