As teachers took to the streets on day nine of what they say will soon become an indefinite strike, Vice President (VP) Bharrat Jagdeo has said that the Ministry of Education (MoE) may have to explore online methods to ensure that students are provided with tuition.
During a press conference at Freedom House, the General Secretary of the PPP and VP evaded the question of meeting with the Guyana Teachers’ Union to discuss teachers’ wages.
Referencing the period during COVID-19 when online teaching was the order of the day, Jagdeo stated that most teachers did not teach during that period, and they were still paid.
“If this is prolonged, we may have to explore online methods… In the whole period, in COVID, almost a year and a half, most of the teachers did not work, and we had to find other means of getting tuition to the children… but [they] received full pay. But I think, what we did, after COVID, we started reemphasizing back the classroom environment, when most countries globally are going to a hybrid system of looking more at online methods and a combination of the classroom…,” he said.
The VP added that the government has started preparing the materials for online tuition.
“We have started preparing the material etc. If this persists for a long time, we may have to find alternate ways of ensuring that our children are educated.”
Jagdeo noted that parents, particularly single parents, would have to be engaged to decide the best way forward in terms of their children’s education. However, he criticized parents who are presently choosing to keep their children at home during the ongoing strike action while schools are in full swing for “holding the children back”.
“We should engage the parents more to find if [there are] any alternate ways of keeping the children engaged or getting the tuition at home. We have to find ways, because Mr (Mark) Lyte (GTU President) said this will go on ‘indefinitely’ but… we have to be sympathetic to the parents and some of the teachers [who] are doing a great job…,” he stated.
When asked when the government planned on meeting with the union, Jagdeo mentioned that the government had ongoing meetings with the union, including one on January 31st and a scheduled meeting for February 21st. He added that there was an agreement for monthly meetings every third Wednesday.
“They walked away from that and called a political strike,” he said. Those meetings referred to by the Vice President had nothing to do with collective bargaining which has been the main demand by the GTU. No collective bargaining has been held with the GTU since the PPP/C took office in August of 2020.
Yesterday’s protest saw a sizeable turnout in Georgetown and Linden as teachers continued to fight for better wages. Among the protesters outside the MoE Brickdam office were teachers (both present and former) and some parents.
A former teacher, Hillmon Henry, told Stabroek News that he believes that the ongoing strike by the GTU is valid, despite government officials claiming it is not. Henry argued that the government is not prioritizing spending on human resources, such as salaries for teachers and public servants, and is instead investing in infrastructure projects.
Henry further expressed the sentiment that the government is discriminating against teachers and public servants and failing to provide a livable wage for the majority of the population. Noting that both he and his past generations have been staunch supporters of the current administration, he expressed disappointment in the government’s actions and urged for the fair treatment of workers.
Today, the protest in Georgetown is expected to be larger than usual because teachers from outlying areas will be traveling to the capital city to meet with their colleagues. President of the GTU, Lyte on Wednesday stated that the strike will go on indefinitely if there is no favourable response from the government.
As the GTU continues to encourage teachers to stand their ground, those at the protest have so far expressed resilience in the face of the Ministry of Education’s plan to cut their salaries for the days that they were out on strike.
“We don’t care. It doesn’t make sense backing down now. Even if it goes on for two months, I’m in it for the long haul. God shall provide,” was the collective affirmation.
