Payment of Whitley Council allowance, dissatisfaction with school boards and the upcoming national track and field events were discussed at a press conference held at the Guyana Teacher’s Union headquarters (GTU) on Wednesday last.
President of the GTU Colwin King said Minister of Education Shaik Baksh is “distant from the truth” in terms of the ministry’s obligation to pay teachers who qualify for Whitley Council leave allowance.
King told the media that the ministry had entered into an agreement with the union to pay all teachers who qualify for Whitley Council by the end of April, even if they qualified for the leave after that month. However the system was changed and they will now be paid in the month that they become eligible.
King said the ministry contended that teachers would receive their allowance and then leave the system. He said, however, the percentage of teachers who did this amounted to 0.04 per cent (5 teachers).
King said this sends a clear signal as this small percentage has resulted in all teachers facing the punishment. The union is in agreement though that teachers be given their allowance in the month they qualify for the leave. Whitley Council allowance is one month’s paid leave given to teachers who have accumulated four years continuous service.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education Phulander Kandhai told Stabroek News that the Ministry of Finance is responsible for paying the teachers their Whitley Council allowance and that the union has agreed to the terms, which is to pay teachers in the month they become eligible.
Against re-hiring
King further said that the GTU remains dissatisfied with the management proffered by the Board of Governors at schools. And one of the things the union is in disagreement with is the re-hiring of retired teachers. He said teachers who have been in the system awaiting a chance for leadership positions are not given a chance to make their contribution.
He also said that the union has some level of contention with the manual for Boards that was released. He said that the language used was “somewhat loose” but he declined to comment on specifics as he wished to bring it up with the ministry before commenting.
Meanwhile the GTU has a team, which is preparing to address the union’s new positions in terms of the salary package for 2009. The union will be looking for improvements on all the other longstanding issues that have been on the union’s agenda such as housing for teachers, uniform allowance, and class size and these matters are to be discussed at an upcoming meeting with ministry officials.
A $10M budget is being worked on for the upcoming National Track and Field Championships, which is billed for Linden from October 18 to November 21.
King said that the union is seeking to cut the budget by using hostels and schools to house participants, thereby slashing the housing bill.
Meanwhile details are being worked out for the second batch of head teachers who are to receive duty-free concessions. King said that a list will be available soon.
The housing plan for teachers is also in process. The criteria are that the teacher must be a financial member of the union and must own the land on which s/he proposes to build.
Some $40M per year is supposed to be allocated to the teachers’ building fund at NBS. This is the third year the fund has been in existence and therefore some $120 million should be in the fund.
The union president levelled several allegations against the Principal and Board of President’s College. King said that the state audit should move in and audit the books at the college. “I guarantee that the findings will be very alarming,” King said.
He said that the infrastructure is “going down” for the institution that has top funding, where $362,000 is spent on a student per year as opposed to $60,000 per student in other schools. King said that he has been trying to get the attention of the minister on the issue but to no avail.