Teachers of schools across the Deep South Rupununi have written to the Ministry of Local Govern-ment saying that they cannot comply with a directive that they open bank accounts in order to receive their salary citing the distance, time and cost it would take to travel the 200 km to the bank in Lethem.
In the letter stating their resistance to the proposal, Stabroek News was told, the teachers outlined several reasons including distance, time and the cost of travelling to Lethem. Teachers have previously pointed out the distance from the Deep South communities to Lethem with Shea being 139 km away and Achiwuib being 233 km away from the Region Nine capital. The only banks in the sprawling region are in Lethem. The cost of transport is also high and rises in the rainy season. In addition, the journey to and from Lethem typically takes more than a day. One teacher told Stabroek News yesterday that very few had established bank accounts. “They cannot afford it,” the teacher said.
The local branch of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) met last week and prepared the letter outlining their concerns, the teacher who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of victimization, said. The letter was to be sent to the Ministry of Local Government and copied to the Ministries of Education and Amerindian Affairs, among other
