Dear Editor,
I think the Department of Education in Berbice needs to employ better procedures when dealing with the records of teachers that are submitted to the department. Whether it is an application for leave, a letter to an officer, or application for release to attend the University of Guyana, the clerks there are very careless with people’s documents.
I submitted my application to attend UG to the Regional Education Officer in February. This application was stamped, signed and was supposed to have joined the rest of applications and sent to Georgetown for approval.
Lo and behold, two weeks ago, when I enquired at the department why my release letter did not come from Georgetown, it was discovered that my application never left New Amsterdam.
It is almost May. The deadline set by the Ministry of Education for UG release has passed since February. Who, then I ask, is at fault here? Now is it my responsibility to manually take my UG release application to Georgetown? Well surprisingly, that was what I was told. I have to spend my own money.
This is a feature at this department, to lose teachers’ documents. Things go missing like magic. When you take documents there, you have to be afraid of them being lost, misplaced, or not being tended to by the relevant personnel.
On many occasions, teachers’ Whitley Council leave applications get lost. They would usually have to re apply and send in another application. Some persons who work there are too careless!
Yours faithfully,
Leon Suseran
