Dear Editor,
I am a young teacher – I started teaching just six years ago − but it feels as if I’ve been teaching for sixty years! I love teaching; I love children − that’s why I entered the profession. But I am sickened to my stomach at the moment. I am confused, tired, and afraid for the future of our tomorrows.
The Ministry of Education recently held a meeting with head teachers from the various schools across Region Six at the University of Guyana Tain Campus on the Corentyne. It was most unfortunate that the Minister did not meet directly with the people who have direct contact with the children of East Berbice. Then, he would have had to spend quite a few days in the region as I am sure he would have had tons and tons of comments from our teachers.
The meeting was about the ministry’s action plan for our education system. Note the term ‘action plan.’ Having a plan is good, but implementing it is another story. With the way things are going I go home on most days tired, worked out and discouraged not to go to work another day. And Editor, it’s not about the money. I know for a fact many other teachers share similar sentiments but nevertheless tire and labour for this profession.
If I’ve never been honest in any of my letters to the press over the past eight years, I am being very honest at this time.
My point for writing this letter is that I really would like to know, since the ministry has an “action plan,” its plans for Vryman’s Erven Secondary School and other schools across Guyana. I would be the happiest public servant if I could see something from this action plan put into action at the school where I teach, at least before I resign some time in the near future. How can the action plan address several concerns at this school?
We have several strangers entering the compound from all directions every single school day. We have past students, who have either been suspended or otherwise not attached any more to the school, returning to disrupt classroom teaching. Can the action plan address this concern? During the Diwali period, we had these same persons exploding firecrackers in the school building. Several were thrown into classrooms which had teachers teaching the nation’s children.
Does the action plan have anything to do with the children at my school who cannot read − period?
Furthermore, does it involve any solution for increasing the number of English Literature textbooks that I have to teach with from six textbooks for a class with nearly forty children? Also, can the students I teach even handle Shakespeare?
Earlier in this Christmas school term I had written a letter in these columns highlighting the furniture problem that plagues Vryman’s Erven Secondary School. A few days prior to the publication of the letter, we received about thirty pairs of combination iron chairs with desks − thirty! This amount, for a school with nearly five hundred children! Editor, shall I go on? Shall I vent my frustrations any further than this? Then all the Ministry of Education keeps doing is coming down hard on teachers’ backs for getting this and that done. It is the tons upon tons of paperwork that has school managers busy and occupied and leaving the school plant unattended and in chaos! I am speaking the truth!
I believe, in all seriousness, that Vryman’s Erven Secondary School needs a new building. The current building is shaking and I think it will fall down one of these days. The patch work which is currently being undertaken on several portions of the building is just a temporary fix for a dire situation. We need some of those millions of dollars being spent on the education sector to construct a new school building.
I know our education system is strained − our government is under strain. But we had five hundred million dollars to spend on twelve days of Carifesta, so I think we can spend some money on our schools in East Berbice.
Yes, the focus on the bundles of paperwork and red tape is important, but it hinders the teacher from spending adequate time on what really matters − teaching people’s children! As I’ve repeatedly said, too much paperwork is being demanded of our teachers. Too much! Now the new thing is that teachers have to present their lesson plans to be vetted and signed before signing their time for work at every new working day.
Whichever genius came up with this one deserves an award! A lesson plan is the written guide of activities that would be used when teaching a lesson in a classroom situation. But I can have the best-prepared lesson plan in the whole wide world, and still stay away from my time-tabled class where that lesson plan would actually be worth its salt. How silly is this, Editor, that this new form of pressure is being imposed on teachers when it really doesn’t do anything to improve our deteriorating education system.
I feel so demotivated.
We educators need to get our priorities right in this country. We have to decide whether we’re going to constantly pressure teachers in the system or help them do their work better. We need to decide whether we’re going to have teachers write silly excuses for being one and two minutes late for work or focus on education delivery − which I believe is the crux of the matter. As a parent (if I were one), at the end of the day, I would like to know that my child was taught for a full two hundred and eighty minutes that day. I would like to see his or her book signed and dated and all necessary corrections made. I would like to see homework assignments given. Teachers have children going to other schools too, and they would not like the teachers there not to teach their own children properly. They would like their children to receive quality education. They, too, would like value for their money in sending their own children to school.
There is also no drinking or running water at Vryman’s Erven Secondary School − absolutely none! This school needs urgent help − any!
Yours faithfully,
Leon Jameson Suseran
Editor’s note
We are sending a copy of this letter to Minister of Education Shaik Baksh for any comments he might wish to make.
Your situation in region six is deplorable. In Georgetown there are new schools built with IDB money but not many teachers to occupy the class rooms. This is the same govt that is asking persons in your profession for accountability of your time etc. BUT when it comes to the ACCOUNTABILITY of the govt to this nation there is always an F grade for them. You mentioned 500 million was spent on Carifesta where is the balance sheet ??? untold millions on .CWC where is the balance sheet???? not to mention all those town days and “LIMES” keep the nation dancing and they will forget the problems facing Guyana. Another issue is teachers out of training college are not allowed to attend UG even on their own time they must teach for a period of 2 years before they can attend UG. Is this not “NATIONAL SERVICE” the very same thing this govt fought against when in opposition. The more things change the more they remain the same.
I’m fraid Leon the amount spent on Carifesta has exceeded a Billion!!
Guess you’ll hear the Minister Ofr Education telling you that the children had a billion dollars worth of information and pride from Carifesta so they can withstand the pressures of mediocrity(if mediocrity is not a high rating)
Where is the outrage. More people need to get up and say something. When I was in Guyana sometime,I heard a business man saying people that graduated from UG can hardly formulate a sentence.
What kinda nonsense is this?
From what I’ve read here, it appears that UG is a glorified High School. Education is not a priority for this PPP administration, because most administration officials are themselves lacking in post graduate academics.
There is no outrage and there wont be any as Guyanese are citizens are so tired dealing with ‘bread and butter’ issues that these important issues pass them daily. Those who can afford it, send their children to private schools.The Minister and the GOG do not care about education. How could you expect people who do not even value education to take it seriously.
More sad days for Guyana because if a country cannot get education right then sorry to say, the future of that country is doom.
Seems to me like the Government boyos are more interested in maintaining a permanent underclass who will stay where they are supposed to and do as they are told, because they will not know any better. The elites will then continue to run things their way and as they please, all “in the name of the people”, of course.
On the other hand it may be nothing more than a total lack of conern for the humble, gross incompetence and an inability to see the forest for the trees. And, worst of all, indifference.
Leon, you are a teacher. That means that you report to an assistant master, who reports to the head master. Am I right? If any of the students you teach has a problem, I am sure it would be your expectation that the student talks to you about the problem instead of talking to your superior or another teacher. Am I right? Now, regarding the Ministry’s “action plan”. It appears that you went to the meeting and slept through it all. Would you want your students to do that in your class room? I guess not! Am I right? You would want your students to ask questions; you would want your students to understand everything you taught them in your “best prepared lesson plan in the world”. Am I right? Now, how would the editor of this paper provide answers for you, when you failed every test as an educator?: you failed to ask questions at the meeting; you failed to talk to your headmaster about his understanding of the “action plan” formulated by the Ministry and explained to you in the meeting attended by you. But most of all you FAILED to follow the chain of command. What a lesson you are giving future leaders of the nation!! You have failed yourself,your headmaster,other teachers,parents and your students.
Now you are preparing to resign your teaching profession ,are you thinking of taking this approach to doing business to the private sector? I hope not. ISNM
for your information, or lack thereof, I showed my Headmistress the entire letter as well as my other supervisors before sending it to the press. You should enquire before you speak, sir, because you speak as an ‘outsider’– someone outside the circle…come spend a day with us at Vryman’s– a week– a month, or more, feel how it feels to be a part of Guyana’s education system within the teaching profession at Vryman’s Erven Secondary School. I’ve raised these issues umpteen times with many persons both in my school– the education officers in Region Six also know very well about my plights…now it is time to take it to HIGHER LEVELS…i say no more !
P.S. The Minister’s response should be very interesting.
And I am prepared for any lashback towards me…ANY!
furthermore, boss, i am an assistant master (AM)
What do you expect from individuals who are not educators. They don’t have a clue to streamline the education system. What they can do best is to go to the office every day with their fingers crossed, hoping no situation arises and at an opportune time they leave the office to wend their way to their watering hole. Life is good.
Observe how the Minister’s office will attack Mr. Suseran.
Georgie, you don’t have to be a painter to enjoy a painting. ISNM
What a shame that the education system has been allowed to deteriorate to the level that there are children in school who cannot read, in buildings that are about to collapse, being taught by teachers who are looking for an early escape route away from the profession, overseen by a government that apparently does not care or does not have a clue. What a shame!!!
This administration is still to put together an educational team to compare with the previous admin., even though that admin is supposed to be the worst in 28 years. My favorite was Ceciline Baird followed by Shirley Field Ridley. We changed admin. and we dropped Deryck Bernard. Dale Bisnauth tried but he was not ready for the aforementioned crew. When we dropped the Community High school concept and di-emphasied the “Common entrance” I knew we were going in the wrong direction.
Having said that I must note that both admins. made glaring mistakes in governance with their approach to education, crime fighting and the army. The mistake of giving paltry salaries to these groups ensures that we do not secure the best brains. Millions of dollars are wasted for substandard work – and it keep going on and on. It is penny wise and pound foolish.
Tripple the salary of the Police and army, double that of the teachers and nurses, add accountability and a favourable pension package and watch everything fall in place. Give people salaries they can ill afford to lose and watch them produce.
Where the money is going to come from? Let’s start with the Police. If they can ill afford to take a bribe we will be seeing renenue from law breaking citizens. Millions of dollars of intended Govt. revenue go out in bribes so that the ordinary law enforcers can send their spouses to shop along side the drug pusher and mimibus drivers and owners. Emagine our law enforcer can bearly afford a “banks” while the average “baller” sporting on Heineken and Hennessey.
Better salaries for teachers means more qualified and talented students joining the force and the work place. If bribing cannot take place crime will go down. If crime goes down investors will come. Investors come in and there is a qualified work force in place. Investments and qualified workers leads to increased revenue to pay for the high salaries. Increased revenue leads to a developing nation.
More money is not the answer Greg. Love of the job is the principal element. You have to love what you are doing. In addition, every Govt run organization in Guyana has suffered from the brain drain. As a result, the overlap in terms of job functionality and experience is absent. Hence the detoriation in job performance. No increase in salary can fill this vacum. Whatever job skills were acquired by long serving employees were not passed on primarily because many departments were improperly structured and fair labor standards were not applied. Addaed to those elements are factors of cohesiveness and morale. As an example, examine Leon Suseran’s letter. It is quite evident that morale is extremely low in his school, not because they are not paid adequately, but because there is no cohesive soloutions to the mountain of problems the school faces. I was hard on he and his headmistress, but what can those professionals do even if they are paid ten times their salary. Although Leon referred to me as an “outsider”, and he further provided his status in his school, I got the distinct impression that he may is not be too concerned about his current salary.salary. To sum it up Greg, pension plan, salary increase and the other perks you made reference to are not the producivity motivators or producers. I think that the Leon Suseran’s of Guyana get too big a dose of the autocratic method of management, Blame their ministries and tell them to change their approach to management. Tell them to be more consultative and participative. The big stick method is not working. So, Greg. ISNM
Leon – I can relate to your concern/situation.
Last year I was home in my village of Katoka in the Rupununi for three days. My little family and I decided that we take one of those days to do a service to the community. We volunteered – my wife and son went to kindergarten to assist my sister in law and I went to assist in 6th grade class (where concentration was on math problems) and two more lower classes that were kept in a thatched roofed building with no floor( where basic phonics were shared) in the Primary school.
It is known that any government cannot do every thing for its people. But I am firm believer that we as people should meet it half way. This was echoed by US President elect Barak Obama through out his campaign and again at his victory speech that people need to meet the government half way. When he said that he will do every thing possoble to improve education system but he cannot be a father nor a mother to tell the children to turn off Tv’s to do their homework.
May be we need to involve the parents/villagers/public/past students to go and meet the government half way.
My son’s elementry school has a fund raising committee that does fund raising activity at least every month. For example they organize some thing called “Spirit Feast’ at one of the eating places ( of course the restaurant is a supporter of the education system) where parents can have, at a reduced price, a dinner for the family to raise fund for the school.
May be – you as a AM can think of involving parents in their children’s education – to raise funds to buy boards to build school furnature/ to volunteer at the school (in classes/or do some thing that can enhance the school’s situation).
Both my wife and I volunteer in our son’s school. Every other week I do Maths Super Star.
Currently I am working on setting up a library for my village- children/adults(mind you there was no school when I attained school age in my village so I had to walk 10 miles almost every weekend at the age of 6 to go and see my parents and back to school – Yupukari). I am pretty sure there are lots of past students who are in high positions/doing businesses or become ‘outsiders’ who can come togther to save their old school from falling down.
I am sure your school has a PTA that can reach ‘outside’ for assistance – financially and other wise. Are you one of the old students of the school? If so or not encourage some to formed an Old Student Association that can reach out to all the past students who I am ceratinly can become involved once your school is organized.
Education of children is not the sole duty of a teacher but it involves parents and others.
As a former teacher of ‘outside’ school – let me share – I built furniture for my class room and painted it. I raised fund for my class to purchae materials needed and snacks for students who went without meal. If we love educating the children we can go far beyond the class room door.
You are not alone. If you so love your ‘children’ get others involved and work towards eliminating the problem(as suggested above). Your running away from the problem would not solve the problem you highlighted.
My Amerindian brother, you are a man after my own heart. You are so right. We Guyanese have to start “owning our problems and responsibilities”. And this is not confined to any specific area, whether it be education or crime.
On the other hand, Greg and Theo have made some excellent points. Uncle Ulric is stuck in “his” time.
Reading Suseran’s letter was just an extension of what happened at Stella Maris at the beginning of the new school year and I’m sure a problem that not only exists in New Amsterdam.
Anyone can complain., anyone. The world is full of complainers. It takes a person of substance to make a change in his situation. Could Mr Suseran tell us what he is doing to make his class diferent? His School different? Maybe he could start by preparing lesson plans. Mr Suseran also has a history in the press of complaining. Maybe he can legitimize his concerns by making just one effort to rectify his situation without complaining that others need to fix it for him. A teacher is in a position of great potential to effect change.
Babies demand others must meet their needs. Adults go out and get. Such display of juvenile tendencies are not complementary with the noble profession . Take my advice, qiut it.