Dear Editor,
Thank you for your ongoing editorials on education issues in Guyana. In your editorial yesterday, `The Ministry of Education must face up to its responsibilities, SN, Oct. 29, 2024,’ you mentioned the need for teacher supervision duties during school hours at break time, bathroom, etc. Your editorial said, “One would think that issues like the supervision of ‘break periods’ and the use of school toilets ought to fall under a certain minimum level of oversight for obvious reasons.”
I am aware that teachers do not like to or want to do supervision duties, and this attitude is based on some notion that they must have a one-hour lunch break, and should not be doing duties. They say this is a union-backed right of teachers, and unions would object to supervision duties for teachers. Notwithstanding, I have heard of a few principals leading in a manner to win support from teachers for supervision duties.
Let me share what we do in North Carolina, USA. Teachers are regarded as “professionals.” Professionals care about students as a number one priority and the school sees safety and security as a prerequisite responsibility for successful education to take place. As “professionals” we do not ask and are never paid extra for duties of supervision, for running clubs and societies for children, for tutoring after school, or for grading student projects. In the American culture, caring teachers do that joyfully, and it’s seen as all part of the job, especially that clause that says, “and any other duties assigned to you” contained in a teacher’s job contract. American school teachers think in terms of “a hole in the boat, is a hole in the whole boat.” They care about the children and the reputation of their schools. They would not argue with you if asked to hold a class if a teacher is absent or to do some school-related duties. They do the duties joyfully, as it also build their resumes of things done, and are noted as being a “team player.”
I am not sure all the teachers in the Guyanese school cultures have such mindsets or are as altruistic as the North Carolina teachers, but they can be, with good school leadership. Maybe SN can do some investigative journalism why teachers do not want to help with supervision duties, and the role of the union in preserving that status quo. Teachers invoke some Labour Law about having a one-hour lunch break. Isn’t there a law about 8-hour work day too? Our teachers work 9:00-3:00 and get two months off with pay so that seems like a good trade-off for doing school duties. In North Carolina, teachers are assigned duties on the “duties schedule.” Teachers are assigned to do “morning duty” whereby you are on the grounds to welcome students when they arrive by bus or dropped off by car. Teachers have duties in the cafeteria at breakfast, and eating along with the children at lunch. During change of classes, teachers stand by the doorways to monitor student behaviours as students move to their classes. During lunch, some teachers have duties to stand near the bathroom areas in case students want to steal a smoke.
Let’s have conversations and fix these problems now! A hole in the boat, is a whole in the whole boat! It does not matter which side of the boat has the whole. It takes a village to educate children successfully!
Sincerely,
Dr. Jerry Jailall
Civic Society Advocate
