The Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) is calling for the removal of the Leila Ramson-led Teaching Service Commis-sion (TSC) over what it said is its disregard for an ongoing High Court injunction which bars the commission from approving promotions of senior teachers.
General councillors of 39 GTU branches and others staged a protest in front of the TSC on Tuesday where the calls were made.
GTU President Mark Lyte explained that the union’s course of action came as result of the TSC’s recent attempt to have a teacher in the Region Six area promoted to a senior position. Lyte further stated that when the union wrote to the TSC questioning the appointment, it had initially denied the claim. Lyte said that in the response given by the TSC, the union was described as having been misinformed about what had occurred.
However, he said, this was followed by a letter from the TSC rescinding the said appointment.
“…The demonstration was to say that we have lost all confidence in the Leila Ramson-led commission,” Lyte said.
He added that all relevant documents have been copied and sent to the Ministry of the Presidency where it was hoped the relevant bodies would address the issue. The TSC is a constitutional commission. He said that in the event that nothing is done to rectify the situation, the union will intensify its approach to the issue.
Lyte also sought to clarify that union is not going after specific teachers but rather the manner in which the system is being abused.
GTU’s General Sectary Coretta Mc Donald has also voiced her dissatisfaction with the actions of the TSC. In a letter published in Wednesday’s edition of the Stabroek News, Mc Donald made reference to a letter issued by Ramson dated January 14, discussing the appointment of the teacher whose promotion is currently at the centre of the debate.
Mc Donald said in the letter: “The union is afraid of what further illegal and unprofessional acts may be committed if this commission is allowed to function.”
In a previous report carried by this newspaper, it was noted that for several years, there have been questions raised about the process used to promote teachers. Supposedly, this process is conducted using a points system. Points are awarded based on qualifications and experience, with those teachers who score the most points being eligible for promotion over those with less.
Last July, the preliminary promotion lists for public school teachers prepared by the TSC and the School Board Secretariat were made public. Those promotions were, however, stalled when the GTU secured an injunction to prevent the two bodies from producing finalized lists. Based on the GTU’s application, former acting chief justice Ian Chang had ordered the TSC and the Minister of Education, respectively, to assess all applications for the 2015 promotions. These bodies were asked to show cause why the appointments should not be deemed unlawful.
Additional attempts to have the issue resolved have been unsuccessful as the two bodies are yet to reach a consensus on the issue.
