-Region Two teachers rebuff GTU strike, remain in classrooms

Story and photos by Indrawattie Natram

THE Ministry of Education’s School Supplies Cash Grant distribution programme commenced as scheduled on Monday with some $1.8 billion expected to be distributed across the country.

According to a press release from the ministry, the grant was implemented in September 2023 and aims to provide financial relief to teachers, helping to improve and manage classrooms more effectively and getting relevant supplies in a timely manner at a preferred quality.

“Under the grant, teachers are given the opportunity to purchase the necessary office, field and janitorial supplies needed for their classrooms,” the release said before adding that $1.8 billion will be distributed to schools across the country.

This sum will cover the expenses expected to be incurred for two school terms, the Easter Term and the May/June Term.

In coastland schools, schools will receive $4,500 per student per term while in the hinterland, schools will receive $5,500 per student per term.

In nursery and primary schools along the coast, teachers will be receiving $3,500 per learner while $1,000 will remain with the school’s administrative department to offset expenses in common areas. Similarly in hinterland nursery and primary schools, $4,500 will be given to the teacher and the remaining $1,000 will be used by the school’s Administrative Department to offset common expenses.

REGION TWO

As scores of teachers across Region Two rejected the Guyana Teachers’ Union-led strike action and remained in their classrooms, Minister of Education Priya Manickhand on Monday handed over the school supplies cash grant to two schools.

The head teachers of the other schools in the region are expected to get theirs during the course of this week.

The first Region Two school to benefit was the Anna Regina Secondary School. The exercise was held in the school’s auditorium with teachers, parents and regional officials in attendance.

The school’s Head Teacher Lalljeet Rooplall received $12,779,000 which will benefit more than 964 students.

Rooplall in his remarks explained that the cash grant will provide tremendous financial relief for teachers, as it will help them to improve their quality of teaching and manage their classrooms.

He said that the school was very happy to receive the money especially since the last cash grant was spent on enhancing the school and the installation of smart classrooms.

Subsequently, the Acting Head Teacher of Abram Zuil Secondary School, Jerome Rajpersaud, received $5,824,000.

Minister Manickhand during her address to the sizeable gathering said that the ministry is giving the teachers the money so that they can purchase whatever the schools need.

She explained that the aim is for teachers to have money in their pockets to assist with the delivery of education, thereby reducing the need for them to spend their own money on school supplies.

“You don’t have to spend money from your salaries. We are giving you money to purchase cardboard, crayons and other materials. You will then have more money in your pockets because you don’t have to purchase these things,” the minister said.

Further, she said that the ministry re-examined the distribution and has crafted it differently this year. At the primary and nursery levels, the headmaster and the teachers will now receive money for the school and the classrooms. For the secondary schools, the heads of the various departments will receive money to spend in their respective departments.

The minister assured teachers that this year, there will be no limit to what teachers can purchase with the cash grant.

This year, the money comes under subvention and grants.

According to Minister Manickchand, the grant distribution, along with other initiatives, has been providing teachers with the necessary tools they need to deliver the curriculum and achieve notable outcomes.

The sum of $898.2 million was invested in the school grant in 2023 which benefitted 182,672 learners. This year, another S3.1 billion was allocated to continue the programme.

The minister said that the school supplies cash grant complements a range of other initiatives supporting both teachers and learners. These include the ‘Because We Care” cash grant, the national school feeding programme and textbook and exercise book distribution.

POOR TURNOUT

Meanwhile, many of the region’s teachers opted to teach instead of joining the GTU’s countrywide strike. A visit to several schools revealed that teachers were still in classrooms teaching.

At Cotton Field Secondary and the Anna Regina Secondary School, classes were being conducted as per normal. The teachers who opted out of the strike said that the children’s welfare was very important to them.

“We believe that things can be better if talks continue. The children came to school and we have to teach them. This is what we joined the profession for in the first place,” one of the teachers told this publication.

Several head teachers said that while some teachers did not show up in school, classroom teaching continued.

No Region Two school was closed on Monday and Minister Manickhand during her visit to the region commended the teachers who opted to teach.

While addressing teachers and parents who were gathered at the Anna Regina Secondary School to witness the handing over of the school supplies cash grant to the head teacher, she noted that teachers have a choice to either strike or not, but maintained that the current strike action is illegal.

Minister Manickhand explained that the GTU did not get the necessary permission to hold a strike.

The minister told the gathering that the Ministry of Education has been constantly engaging the GTU and has been fulfilling many requests that were made. She reminded teachers that a strike does not hurt anyone but the children who are in the classrooms.

She added that certain conditions have to be met for a strike to be lawful and a series of set of steps must be followed.

She said that the correct process involves the Ministry of Labour and arbitration, but none of this has happened.

As such, the Ministry of Education has deemed the strike illegal, the minister said before reiterating that the GTU and her ministry have been engaged in constant talks and only recently 26 out of 41 requests were fulfilled by the ministry.

She added that the ones that were not fulfilled were deemed personal requests that would benefit only members of the GTU executive.

Additionally, she said that teachers are reaping better benefits under the current government, including scholarships, promotions and duty-free vehicles.