President Bharrat Jagdeo last night stated that Cabinet’s initiative to recruit graduate teachers from overseas to supplement national demand, primarily in the areas of Mathematics and Science, will not be final until after discussions are held between the government and the Teaching Service Commission (TSC). Jagdeo’s statement was in response to questions about whether the decision to recruit foreign teachers has been finalised, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported. See story on the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) reaction to the announcement of the initiative on page 10.
Overseas teacher recruitment sends disturbing message
-GTU
The Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) is calling for more information on the government’s announcement that it will be moving to recruit overseas Mathematics and Science teachers—a move that the union says sends a disturbing message about the state of the education system.
Chief government spokes-man Dr. Roger Luncheon made the disclosure on Thursday and stated that the initiative was being pursued at the request of the Ministry of Education. He stated that the recruits would be paid in keeping with the system used for other foreign professionals contracted by the government.
However, at a news briefing called to address the issue yesterday, GTU President Colin Bynoe called for more information on that contractual arrangement, while saying that the union would be pushing for a level playing field as it relates to remuneration. “We do hope that because we’re saying overseas that these overseas people will not be given super salaries but that they’ll be treated just like how Guyanese teachers are treated when they go to North America, Europe or Caribbean countries to take up any job in the teaching profession,” he said.
In response to a question from a parent yesterday during a meeting at the Leonora Secondary School yesterday, Education Minister Shaik Baksh said that the issue of overseas recruitment has come about because of an acute shortage.
He explained that 50% of secondary schools do not have qualified mathematics and science teachers and that is responsible for the type of results the country has been recording at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations. Last year, the pass rate in Mathematics was 34.51%, which was a slight improvement from the 31% recorded in the previous year.
Baksh said that 2,000 teachers are being trained at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE), some of whom are graduating in Mathematics, but it will take some years. He said too that there are non-graduate certificate programmes for teachers in Mathematics, English and Biology through the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD), with about 25 to 50 per year.
Baksh added that while the details of the overseas recruitment policy are being worked out, it has been accepted in principle. He said the issue of payment was not finalised as yet. “The paying conditions for those persons will have to be worked out; we haven’t worked it out as yet but we also have to incentivize… the system; they are looking at that also. We cannot be oblivious to the fact that it would have graduates with Mathematics in the school system here, that you would bring people and pay them far, far in excess,” he stated.
At the meeting yesterday, the parent had asked Baksh about the prospect of paying the local teachers more to work with the underperforming students rather than recruiting teachers from overseas. Baksh said he would consider the suggestion but noted that it would have to be discussed with the union. ”So, we’ll have a total package. There [has] to be trade off somewhere along the line,” Baksh said. He noted it had been suggested to the union years ago that the Mathematics and Science teachers be paid a special allowance but the union had held out that all teachers would have to be dealt with. “There comes a time when you have to make decisions, we just can’t afford to pay all the teachers. Teachers’ pay has been increasing; from 2005 to 2011 it has increased by 200-300%. I’m not saying that is enough, all workers need more pay,” the minister stated.
Meanwhile, Baksh said the overseas recruits will need as minimum qualification a bachelor’s degree in the area they are seeking to teach in order to qualify. The details of that arrangement are also still to be finalised as well as the hiring of overseas-based Guyanese teachers.
‘Sad affair’
Bynoe yesterday said that it was a “sad affair” that such a move had to be employed and the union seemed to have more questions than answers on the initiative. “You would have known of NCERD running a programme that was headed by Mr. (Mohandatt) Goolsarran for more than 10 to 15 years. Is it that we’re saying his programme failed?And if it is that his programme failed, why is he still there?” Bynoe queried.
He also asked about the role of the CPCE and the University of Guyana in producing Math and Science teachers. The union, he said, would also like to know if any proper research had been done before going the overseas recruitment route. “The problem is that today we are in the process of Guyana hiring overseas teachers in Maths and Science. Tomorrow it may very well be Language and probably another subject. Whilst the Guyana Teachers’ Union would indeed like to see that education move forward, we’re a bit disturbed that the message is being sent clearly to us that our locals seem not to be fitting the purpose of what we really want in terms of our education policy,” Bynoe stated.
According to him, the signal to teachers is not a nice one and could frustrate “those who are trying their damnedest right now in the education system.”
He said the union will be looking to protect the interests of local Mathematics and Science teachers. “Most naturally, the union will be seeking to ensure that they are given similar privileges as those who they’ll bring in from overseas.
Basically, you cannot bring people from overseas and grant them better privileges,” he said.
He added that he hoped the Teaching Service Commission has the “institutional capacity” to verify and endorse the people coming. He added that the union will ensure there is a level playing field for the locals and the overseas recruits.
Bynoe said the union intends to meet the minister on the issue since it was at his request the move was put in motion.
Education Minister Shaik Baksh said overseas recruitment has come about because of an acute shortage. He explained that 50% of secondary schools do not have qualified mathematics and science teachers and that is responsible for the type of results the country has been recording at the CSEC examinations.
