Pre-service teachers from Region Two attending the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) on Tuesday received stipends after an almost yearlong wait.
Speaking with the media after exiting the Department of Education’s boardroom at Cotton Field, where they uplifted the stipends, many of the teachers related that the wait was long and most of the money they received had to go to repay debts.
The teachers said they incurred a number of expenses, including the cost of travel to attend classes at the CPCE campus in Region Four.
Overseeing the payout was the Ministry of Education’s Deputy Permanent Secretary of Finance Juliana Latchman, who said that the teachers received a lump sum of money. She added that the payout of the stipends had been made in other regions already.
Omawattie Doodnauth, of Lima, said that she was happy to receive the money. She explained that most of her money was spent on purchasing data plans to access the internet for online classes. She said many times she had to struggle to meet the expense. On many occasions, she added, she had to rely on relatives to help her through college.
Like Doodnauth, other trainees related that they started college in June last year and the money they received covered nine months. They are however thankful that they were given the money at an opportune time.
Reya Ramlall also said that on a few occasions she had to travel to Georgetown to attend classes due to the absence of lecturers in Region Two. Ramlall said she was happy to receive the money and said it was a “first time payment”.
“On many occasions we had made representations to be paid. While it is not much money it will assist in travelling, internet expenses and other basics,” a trainee teacher added.
