As day 10 of the teachers’ strike ended yesterday, the GTU set out minimum conditions for returning to the classrooms and it underlined that recent meetings with the Ministry of Education (MoE) had been on policy matters but not salaries and collective bargaining.
A crowd of teachers and supporters gathered in front of the Ministry of Education on Brickdam and continued to press their case for better salaries. Children in uniform accompanied their parents to the protest.
Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) General Secretary Coretta McDonald told Stabroek News yesterday that the union and MoE continue to speak at the level of the professional development committee which deals with policy aspects and by extension regarding teachers attending schools late and how it can be curbed. It also includes how teachers can be relocated to schools that are close to their homes, reduction of class sizes, reducing teaching periods, and implementing workshops to target slow learners. McDonald added that the Minister of Education Priya Manickchand told the union that all matters relating to finances are being dealt with at the Office of the President.