Dear Editor,
The National Security Advisor posted a video on social media showing someone dressed in APNU+AFC colours and APNU written on his/her clothing doing what many considered to be witchcraft. This was occurring in front of the teachers on strike. During the period of His Excellency L.F.S Burnham it was illegal to practice witchcraft/obeah. It is unfortunate to see that the party that His Excellency founded breaking from the high standards that he had established. The educators of our great Nation should continue to embrace the path that higher education offers. There was a time in Europe when witches were burnt at the stake. As a people we should avoid des-cending into such chaos. No one should be making personal attacks against those working at the Ministry of Education.
The disagreement before us has to do with the right of the teachers to participate, via collective bargaining, in the decision making pertaining to their salaries. The Ministry of Education has implemented less than 75% of the initiatives requested. However, the Ministry was able to implement an initiative that ensured trained teachers were available in remote areas of the country such as Monkey Mountain. We must not throw out the good with the bad. The Ministry is filled with hard working people and we should allow them to strive for an A by giving them an opportunity to complete above 85% of the initiatives before them. Having a negotiated salary increase should be a compulsory requirement for such a high passing mark.
I encourage both our teachers and members of the ministry to maintain the proper decorum and mutual respect during this difficult period. We must ensure that we continue to set a good example for the children of our Nation. Even though there is a disagreement before us, we must not allow it to descend into that which is unbecoming of those in the Education Sector. Good communication is always necessary to resolve a difference of opinion. It is in everyone’s best interest for the two sides to meet to find a mutually agreeable resolution to the dispute. When the children of our great Nation are in school and there is a conflict, we expect them to resolve it peacefully via an intellectual discussion. Similarly, the leaders in the Education Sector must follow suit and illustrate to both our Nation’s children and the World that Guyana is a place where we practice what we preach, and where people who are educated know how to conduct themselves appropriately.
Sincerely,
Jamil Changlee
Chairman
The Cooperative Republicans of
Guyana