By Abigail Headley
A teacher, who is based in Paramakatoi Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), is on the verge of calling it quits as her plea for better living arrangements is not being met by the relevant authorities. Krystal Fisher lamented her squalid living conditions on social media on January 19, showcasing the almost caving-in ceiling of the living quarters she has been assigned as a non-resident.
According to a letter Fisher penned to the Regional Education Officer of Region Eight, she has been residing in the living quarters since January 2022. To date, she has had to put up with such discomforts as faulty bathroom facilities, the absence of a bathroom face sink and laundry facilities, an inadequately furnished apartment, a leaking ceiling, termite infestation, and poor plumbing.
“On the 30th of January 2023, my HM at the time, Mr Karl Vanier, wrote the department on my behalf… Vanier explained in detail the conditions of the apartment… and yet nothing was done. Mr Ramotar the Regional Executive Officer for Region 8 was CC’d…,” the letter said.
Fisher added that a subsequent letter for reimbursement was penned and sent in, along with receipts. She requested repayment for money spent on maintenance of the quarters which she took upon herself to do as well as certain basic installations. In response to this letter, the teacher said, she was “rudely informed that I had not been instructed to furnish the apartment and would not be reimbursed”.
The young woman said that the wood ants in the apartment have so far caused her bathroom ceiling to collapse. She related that when this incident occurred in May last year, she reported it to the relevant authorities but had to wait for approximately five weeks before repairs were done.
Fisher recounted that during the 2023 Christmas term, she was forced to take special leave after her daughter became ill. A medical examination proved that the child’s illness was caused by mould infestation in the apartment. Following this,. she was soon reassigned to St Ignatius Secondary School in Region Nine, pending repairs to the apartment.
However, on her return to the living quarters to commence work this month, the teacher wrote, she discovered that the living room ceiling had swollen and was on the verge of collapse.
“Now in 2024, at the end of the first week of an eleven-week term, I am yet again facing deplorable living conditions after I was assured that the apartment has been repaired. The sitting room ceiling is falling apart. The drainage above my apartment still has not been fixed [thus I am facing yet another internal flood in my apartment] and I am three light bulbs short; therefore, I am in perpetual darkness,” she lamented in the letter.
In a video posted on popular social media activist Melly Mel’s Facebook page, Fisher showcased the ceiling and explained that it was in that state due to wood ants having eaten out the insides.
The Fifth Form teacher noted that this was her final letter to the Department of Education requesting a resolution.
“I will not continue my services under such deplorable conditions, and I will not allow the department to continue abusing me unjustly – yet expect and demand quality performance. I am once more requesting for the apartment to be fixed to the standards fitting for human beings. For these living conditions, all are in violation of labour laws and union laws for workers,” she stated.
Fisher ended her letter with a call for the defects to be rectified before January 20.
When contacted, Minister of Education Priya Manickchand informed Stabroek News that it was a matter for Minister of Public Service Sonia Parag. She further explained that budgets for repair and maintenance are allocated to specific regions, and there was no provision for such at the Ministry of Education (MoE).
“… If I use MoE money I would be engaging in the criminal offence of misappropriation. I think this is a serious nuance many people keep not getting,” she said.
“So we… put out the policy as to what a teachers quarters should have/looks like/accommodate etc. BUT it is the region that implements that policy. This is one of the consequences of the constitutionally provided decentralization that happens in Guyana,” Manickchand added.
This newspaper then contacted Parag, who said that she was not au fait with the matter and would not be able to comment until she has checked the posting. Subsequent calls to her number, a few hours after the first, went unanswered.
