Dear Editor,
Why do teachers in Guyana not receive their teaching certificates immediately after they graduate? Why are teachers in Guyana treated as if they are begging for their pay? Why is there so much discrimination within our school systems, starting from the very staff in management who are supposed to look after the welfare of teachers in our beautiful Guyana? As a former teacher, I would like to say that I will never return to the current teaching system unless changes are made. People should not have to wonder why teachers run from this country. Teaching is a wonderful profession and the pay is small the world over. Teachers the world over regularly go into their pockets for various reasons in the interest of their students. These we understand. However, you cannot treat the people who babysit the children of this country and teach them sometimes what should be taught at home but is not, like trash.
Ninety nine percent of the teaching issues I faced came from co-workers and other education employees of the Ministry of Education, Guyana. You need to fix, not only the system, but the minds of many of your staff, office staff and teaching staff, both senior and junior. Teachers mold the future minds who will be in charge of this nation. Isn’t that what teachers are told when you train them? You expect the children to come out of school ready to take on the whole world, to contribute efficiently and effectively to society, based on their formal education. Yet the very teachers who bear this responsibility have to beg for their certificates and sometimes even their pay. Teachers have expenses and lives like everyone else.
Now let’s talk a little about your current record system for teachers’ data that you have. You cannot see the name ‘rice’ asking for leave and then send approval for ‘sugar’ to get leave. Your records system is terrible and something must be done about this. I have tried, in total of about six times, to get my teaching certificate from Brickdam. I am still waiting. The correct staff were spoken to, the information was stored in the computers. The head office staff have all the necessary equipment, phone numbers and emails to get things done. Can the relevant staff of the Guyana Ministry of Education tell me why I have still not received my teaching certificate years later? I did not pay a bribe to get my certificate, or hope that it would be given to me on a golden embellished platter. I worked full time in the day and I went to all my classes at night. I passed with credit, along with a few others, one full year before the rest of the class graduated. I did not fail any course thus I had no courses to retake.
I can provide evidence of a sickening method used to get some teachers their certificates. I am not going to ever use that route. Imagine you are working a job and it takes six months to get paid even though education and staffing is budgeted for, and there is more than enough staff to get the paperwork completed on time. I wonder if I will get my teaching certificate in this lifetime? Many are wondering the same thing. And to all the small minded staff of the Ministry of Education, remember that karma skips no one and God never sleeps. I hope that teachers start taking legal action when they are treated unfairly and discriminated against because silence will bring no change. Now for the last point.
Rasicm exists in our staff rooms and it is taught to our students through behaviour. Some students bring this nastiness into the classrooms because it is taught at home. There is too much political interference in our schools. If we want a strong present and future for our population, and country, then a stop must be put to all the lawlessness. The parent- teacher- student relationship is the most important one for the education of our future generations, and if we do not stop these types of behaviors, then we as a country will go nowhere. Someone said that we have been divided for too long for racism to stop. I disagree because every time you deal with a racist employee, all you need to do is weed them out. Report them. Sanction them. Penalised them. This applies to all government workers and all private workers because sometime you going privately and pay for a service and the staff will treat you like trash. The rest will be in another letter in relation to that.
Please standardise school rules and remember that teenagers especially, need room for self-expression and positive body image development. School is not the military and teachers are not police officers. There are lines which should not be crossed in the school or any other system. Parents, teachers and students must respect each other to get things done. Standardise laminated badges, simple school uniforms and sports uniforms. Get politics out of the school system. Pay your staff and treat them better with proper benefits. Get your records system righted and ensure all schools have all their text books and other necessary documents and resources. All schools need water in their washrooms and school yard. Fix flooding problems in schools and address teachers’ and parents’ concerns respectfully, properly and in a timely manner. Free university education would also be a welcome move.
Sincerely,
Former teacher
