Dear Editor,
I have been a teacher for 14 years and have had trained status for over 8 years. Recently I responded to the vacancy advertised for senior posts by the Teaching Service Commission. The criteria set out indicated that persons who were trained status were eligible, and persons who had a degree could apply. Upon release of the preliminary list no one was listed to fill the vacancy. Information from the TSC indicated that only graduates were being considered for the posts. I enquired as to why I was not being considered since no graduate had applied, and was told that I was not qualified being a trained non-graduate teacher.
The decisions made should be based on the criteria advertised and not according to different criteria decided on behind closed doors. The same criteria were used to promote trained non-graduate teachers to senior master/mistress positions – a position that is parallel to an HOD, so how can the criteria be flexible for one person and rigid for another?
If no graduate applied for the position then the next qualified person as set out by the criteria should be given the position and the criteria advertised should be adhered to.
Based on a recent pronouncement by the Ministry of Education indicating a preference for graduate teachers, I am of the opinion that the decision not to accept trained teachers may have changed mid-stream. If that is so, I think it is unfair, because I would have responded to an advertisement where the information given was incorrect.
What then is the point of the CPCE certificate if s/he can be superseded by a graduate with less classroom experience and no professional training? I remain an untrained graduate, not by choice, but because of a system over which I have no control. After graduating from CPCE I was told that I would have to wait for two years before pursuing studies at the University of Guyana. I waited and was later told that the schools’ quota had been filled and I had to wait my turn. When it was my turn I was then told to wait since persons in the area of Mathematics and Science would be given priority.
I wish to point out that persons who are graduates may not necessarily be a good teachers. In the recently concluded NGSA, private schools performed outstandingly when compared to the public schools. The question then to be asked is how many teachers in the private schools are graduates? The obvious answer is, very few. In fact, many of the teachers in private schools are holders of CSEC certificates. An analysis should be done to verify if graduates are really performing in comparison to less qualified persons in the public school system.
In our education system no studies are done to identify the causes of failure in the system. Tomorrow a new Minister of Education may be appointed and the policies will take on a different twist depending on his or her point of view. No time is given for policies to work and improvements to be made; instead an entirely new policy is crafted by graduates and masters who have never faced a classroom in their lives.
Simple criteria set out by the TSC cannot be adhered to, but this same commission will tell teachers that they are accountable for their actions as stipulated in the code of conduct. When they are brought before them, the obvious will be said by these same commissioners, namely, that the rules are the rules and those rules should be adhered to.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address provided)
