Minister of Education Shaik Baksh has called for improved performances by both students and teachers in Region Six.

According to a release from the Government Information Agency (GINA), during a meeting with teachers Friday at the University of Guyana’s Tain Campus, Baksh stated that the teachers are guilty of poor attendance and poor punctuality at schools, while noting that it compromises the education syllabus while students suffer low grades.

Minister Baksh explained that that everyday work is provided and the teaching method is planned in the syllabus. Therefore, he said, the absence of a teacher causes the entire class to miss out on pertinent lessons, which must be taught. Students are not adequately prepared for examinations because the workload is pushed further back, the release stated.

Students learn from their parents and because they spend number of hours in the classroom, Baksh also stated. He said that teachers automatically become surrogate parents and role models, and when students witness their teachers often coming to school late, they will eventually adopt that act. The Minister noted that the majority of teachers in the region are women and when they proceed on maternity leave classrooms are left unattended because head teachers find it difficult to have other teachers alternate and cater for students.

According to GINA, Baksh stated that the Education Ministry will ensure that temporary replacements are provided for each school where necessary, since this is another factor he cited as contributing to the syllabus not being completed during classroom sessions. He also urged teachers to be more dedicated towards delivering quality education, since the nation’s future is the children and teachers play a very important role in moulding their lives.