Dear Editor,
While Minister of Education Priya Manickchand is no Winifred Gaskin or Cecilene Baird in intellect and performance, yours truly never expected an elementary piece of writing from the nation’s education policy head. Reference is made to Manickchand’s correspondence “There are currently 26 new secondary schools being constructed across Guyana” (SN, June 5, 2024). This is in response to my article, “Was Luncheon telling us something about Manickchand’s ‘feral’ conduct? My response to her” (Village Voice News, June 3, 2024). https://villagevoicenews.com/2024/06/03/was-luncheon-telling-us-something-about-manickchands-feral-conduct-my-response-to-her/
Rather than address the substance of my contention she continues in her “feral” mode as described by her late colleague, Dr. Roger Luncheon. At no time in my article did I tell the minister she was “physically ugly.” She sought to denigrate me because of my fortune to live for a long period, successfully. Her words caused me to look in the mirror, and I am glad that I did, because I liked what I saw. I took the opportunity to advise her to do likewise and look in the mirror. And whereas I saw a healthy big man, a human species, standing tall, proud and erect at 6’ 3’ with a good genetic structure, apparently, she did not like what her mirror reflected. Now she is accusing me of making statement that I have never uttered aloud.
Nevertheless, I am not surprised at the feral minister for attempting to give me a “feral blast,” for which she was made popular by Luncheon. The difference, however, between Manickchand and the USA Ambassador is that she and I share the same culture and I am not bound by any diplomatic protocol to ignore or handle her delicately.
On the matter of labour, I am not impressed by the minister’s knowledge on the issue, especially in relation to the present teachers’ matter. There is a misconception when it comes to understanding industrial relations and in this particular case the grievance procedure. The Ministry of Labour, by law, conciliates between the two parties where a grievance exists. The parties are at conciliation right now. To the minister’s argument that there must be resumption of work before conciliation, let her make public to this nation which law prescribes that. The minister on this issue, like many others, does not speak from a position of knowledge. Let us not be fooled that because she holds a law degree and was admitted to the bar that her knowledge of law transcends every aspect of human life. It doesn’t and it is obvious she has not done her homework or is being guided by the relevant subject experts. We should not ignore the possibility also that even if she was guided, she ignored it, labouring on the false sense of all-ness of the law.
It is good to see the minister agrees that an agreement must be respected but she must not only talk the talk but walk the walk. Let her advise her government to respect Article 147 of the Constitution of Guyana that enshrines the right to collective bargaining and freedom to strike; Section 23(1) of the Trade Union Recognition Act that obligates the employer to treat with the union in good faith; and the check off agreement between the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) and Ministry of Education as ensconced in the Collective Labour Agreement (CLA). But the government is not prepared to respect these in as much as the court ruled these must be respected.
Let her also tell Minister of Labour Joe Hamilton to respect the agreement by summoning RUSAL/BCGI to correct the short payment made to bauxite workers whose services were terminated in 2019/2020.
The CLAs don’t function in isolation from the Constitution and Laws of Guyana which are the superior instruments. It follows, if the government cannot respect these then workers are left with no choice but to hold the government accountable through strikes and other means of protest.
The minister is bringing her legal training into disrepute, likewise the ministerial portfolio, particularly when compared to her predecessors. On the issue of Guyana lagging behind her Latin America and Caribbean counterparts in education, I stand by my statement which is informed by a World Bank Report and was given the widest coverage locally and regionally. Just as the minister wants teachers to have their students pursue knowledge through enquiry, let her do her homework.
But for the consumption of those who didn’t know or could benefit from a recall, below is an excerpt from the World Bank Fact Sheet that exposes our education dilemma:
“Although the education sector in Guyana has made remarkable progress in the last 15 years in terms of access, learning outcomes remain low across all levels. Guyana achieved 88 percent and 92 percent enrollment at the Nursery and Primary levels, respectively (2018). However, according to the Human Capital Index, a child born in Guyana today will only be 50 percent as productive when she grows up as she could be if she enjoyed complete education and full health. This is lower than the average for the LAC region and upper middle-income countries. The low human capital score is in part driven by low educational and health outcomes.
“Although the average Guyanese student is expected to complete 12.2 years of schooling, this is equivalent to only 6.8 years of learning when expressed in terms of Learning-Adjusted Years of Schooling (LAYS). This has been compounded by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent simulations indicate that, from the baseline of 6.8, Guyana risks losing 1.6 LAYS following a 13-month school closure as a result of the pandemic. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has linked Guyana’s skills shortage to its poor school enrollment and education performance rates relative to regional standards.”
Sitting atop this destructive and gross dysfunction is Manickchand, who has been the education minister for the greater part of the last 15 years. The situation is being compounded with the learning loss the government is allowing by refusing to pay teachers better and create a better education environment for our children. The minister continues to set no good example to this nation and more particularly the young.
It is observed the minister is requesting an apology from me for making a specific reference that was widely publicised in mainstream media and other places which today has never been withdrawn. Her threat of taking me to court for libel will be met with equal response. The threat of legal action has become a defence mechanism of her political kind to drive fear into society. Lest they forget, we the people are paying them to be in service to us and we must not fear but continue to hold them accountable. Respect is earned not achieved by threats.
If “anachronistic” means having integrity, respect for the rule of law, fighting for the rights of the vulnerable in society, fighting against discrimination, and being a decent person, then so let it be. I embrace such a title with a badge of honour. Maybe the minister should embrace some of these values then she would act more dignified and professional in her public office, instead of displaying qualities of a feral being, out of place in the environment within which she operates.
In 2018 Priya Manickchand and Irfaan Ali, in the Opposition, said they support the striking teachers and these teachers deserved at least 50 percent increase in salary. In 2024, in Guyana’s oil-rich economy, both are in positions to deliver on what they said in 2018. They must now do so, and society must join hands with the teachers in holding them accountable.
Yours faithfully,
Lincoln Lewis
