Dear Editor,
I am disgusted and angered by the recent replacement of the head teacher of South Amelia’s Ward Nursery School in Linden. The reason is because this school has changed too many head teachers within the past five years. The PTA wrote letters and also invited senior officials to a meeting, but only the recently appointed District Education Officer (Nursery) of Region 10 appeared.
The head teacher, Ms Marcel Jordon’s appointment letter indicated that her appointment as head teacher is retroactive to 2015. However, she was unable to take up her position due to the situation between the Guyana Teachers’ Union and the Teaching Service Commission. The evidence has shown that the school’s enrolment was as follows: 2008 – 2009: 79 learners; 2009 – 2010: 64 learners; 2010 – 2011: 62 learners; 2011 – 2012: 63 learners; 2012 – 2013: 84 learners; 2013 – 2014: 87 learners; 2014 – 2015: 96 learners; 2015 – 2016: 99 learners; 2016 – 2017: 96 learners and 2017 – 2018: 101 learners. October 1st, 2018 would have made it three years for her appointment to this school, which in 2015 was a Grade ‘C’ school.
The officials at the Department of Education in Region 10 would have removed schools that should have been up for appointment of a head teacher from the list, to have teachers of their choice placed at these school. Nothing has changed since a meeting held on 13th April 2018, when the head teacher Ms Jordon was summoned to the Region’s Education Department to meet with the Regional Education Officer Ms Marcia Paddy-Andrews and the District Education Officer Ms Greene-Brewster concerning her replacement.
Not satisfied that our matter was addressed by the DEO (Nursery) or our petition with signatures of parents acknowledged, further contact was made with senior officials of the TSC who indicated that Ms Jordon should not be bothered by what was discussed on April 13 since they are the ones who made the appointment.
Lo and behold, when the preliminary appointment results came out, South Amelia’s Ward Nursery was given a new head teacher. This decision was contested within the given timeframe. Yet, because of friends and favouritism, our concerns were ignored. Where is the justice if you can appoint a teacher who was unofficially absent from her school for almost one year as a head teacher, but remove Ms Jordon who has lifted the standard of South Amelia’s Ward Nursery? I hope the Minister or someone higher up takes note as the PTA does not agree with being ignored or their concerns shelved, especially since our children as well as teachers will be affected.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address provided)
