Dear Editor,
President Ali’s announcement of housing loans for teachers is a good strategy in an overall teacher retention plan, in addition to honouring all Collective Bargaining agreements with the teachers’ union. (“President floats $15m housing loans for teachers – hears complaints on several issues at State House gathering,” SN, October 3, 2023.
There is a worldwide shortage of teachers and the USA, Middle East, the developed world , and even Caricom countries can lure teachers, nurses, etc. very easily. In Guyana, we are now suffering from a shortage of workers in all areas, including labourers. We are talking about importing all kinds of workers. So retention plans in all areas should be an essential plank in the government’s policy toolbox. It is said that we lose almost 60% of our college graduates. This is a recipe for stagnation, and should have triggered a state of emergency and long-term manpower planning long ago. But in Guyana we like to “wing” it, and announce “random acts of improvement” versus a “systems approach” to design long-term, sustainable strategies. Teachers are not the highest paid people in Guyana, and they barely live in dignity. Teachers cannot live large as business people and oligarchs do. Most teachers do not own their own cars or even a bicycle, they have to catch public transportation. I always thought that if you go to college/university, you worked hard and graduate, you should be able to live a good, decent, comfortable life. You should be able to own a house, own a car, eat decently, dress nice, pay your bills, and have a little extra to save for vacation, recreation and entertainment. But that is not the existence of teachers today. In the USA, even some janitors have nicer vehicles than their School Principals.
When I was a teacher long ago, I was able to get a loan from the Dependents Pension Fund to buy a house, owning my house at age 24. All teachers should be able to do that. So the President’s Plan to allow easy access to loans at low interest rates is to be highly commended. We must also double teachers’ pay, and add more benefits, in addition to increasing base pay. Bonuses and supplements are not substitutes for increasing base pay. Increases in base pay will help in the long run to get higher NIS benefits.
But while we work on multiple ways to increase the overall compensation for all school staff, we must set higher expectations for teacher performance and school outcomes. We must set higher standards for school management and school leadership. I have analysed data on the Ministry’s website – Guyana National Reports for 2023 NGSA – and found some staggering percentages of student failures. In Region 5, for instance, 49% are failing English, 68% are failing Math, 52% are failing Science, and 49% are failing Social Studies. In Region 1, 72% are failing English, 87% are failing Math, 74% are failing Science, and 74% are failing Social Studies. This is unacceptable!
The Guyana Teachers’ Union must cooperate with the Ministry to address this unacceptable state of affairs in student achievement. The achievement of students is strongly correlated with teacher quality, and teacher growth and development. Hopefully, the President’s initiative in housing will lead towards more comprehensive reforms in education.
Most schools are decrepit and in need of powerwashing and painting, sanitary blocks are poorly kept, schoolyards and overall environment are nasty, furniture is in bad shape, there is an absence of smart boards in every classroom, and even brand-new schools costing billions don’t have air conditioning, which the teachers complained about. So, education, as is, needs massive reforms. Mr. President, please stay on top of it, while you are staying on top of the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) debacles.
Sincerely,
Dr Jerry Jailall