Dear Editor,
I refer to the letter ‘Troubling issues in the education sector’ by Mr. Christopher Ram and wish to inform about the following as it relates to the national school feeding programmes:
1. The school feeding programme has several components, such as juice and biscuits, which is given to all children on the Coast from Nursery to Grade 2. The Hot Meal programme, is given to all nursery and primary school children in the hinterlands and the breakfast programme is given to all children of Grade 6 on the Coast. The breakfast programme for Grade 6 children started in 2022. When the Minister of Education made reference to the hiring of cooks and monitors, it was for the breakfast programme as is relatively clear if one were to pay attention to what she said.
2. The unfortunate incident at Akawini Primary School had to do with the hot meals programme. It should be noted that the hot meals programme is funded by the Ministry of Education but managed on a day-to-day basis by the people of Akawini through an elected committee of management.
3. The hot meals programme has national guidelines in terms of standards and local conditions. Additionally, the culture of the village is taken into account since the programme is managed by the villagers themselves.
4. Immediately upon becoming aware of the issue at Akawini, Minister Manickchand made contact with the Toshao, enquired into the circumstances that gave rise to the issue and immediately committed the visit of a high-level team to address the community’s problems with running the program. That team visited within 72 hours and within three (3) working days a new committee was elected and installed. This new committee include the Head teacher, a student body representative, a representative from the PTA and a representative from Village Council in an effort to improve monitoring and accountability. Monitoring from the central level, however, continues.
More than 84,000 children receive nutritional support from the Government of Guyana every day through the school system. A remarkable feat! We expect that given that so many individual bodies are involved in this program and there are so many dynamics involved that, with the best intention and all the rules, from time to time there will be slip-ups. We commit to addressing those as soon as they arise and/or are brought to our attention.
On the issue of promotion, I wish to advise of the following:
1. The vacancies in the newspapers, cited by Mr. Ram, are for the promotion of teachers in schools. Teachers, whether for board or non-board schools, cannot be promoted in the absence of a Teaching Service Commission (TSC). The TSC was appointed on the last day of 2022. Advertised vacancies do not amount to the absence of a teacher from the school. In almost all instances, there is a teacher acting in the position.
If the acting teacher is eligible for the position, then he or she gets a full difference in terms of salary. As such, it must be understood that although North West Secondary has vacancy for 10 senior positions, it is not short of 10 teachers. The teachers are there, in most cases acting in the position and receiving full difference in salary. This promotion process will now permanently appoint the most senior, eligible person to the advertised position. Indeed, the TSC should be commended for acting so quickly and for committing to doing an historic two-time appointment for the year 2023.
2. All the vacancies at Cyril Potter College of Education have an office holder. These positions are not vacant and not unfilled.
3. For better elucidation I offer this example. Queen’s College has advertised for the HM position to be filled but brought in the Caribbean’s most outstanding CSEC and CAPE student in 2021. Anna Regina Secondary, which just produced the Caribbean’s most outstanding CSEC student, has a vacancy and has advertised for a Deputy Head, three Heads of Departments and others. That doesn’t mean someone isn’t functioning in those capacities.
Mr. Ram has fallen into error by conflating vacancy of position with absence of person holding post. They are not the same thing. In closing, we thank Mr. Ram for his interest in the Education Sector and invite him to contact us anytime to ask and have answered matters about which he may take an interest.
Sincerely,
Saddam Hussain
Chief Education Officer
Ministry of Education (Guyana)
