Dear Editor,
There is hardly a public servant, their union leaders’ aside, who would object to the recent announcement by President Irfaan Ali of the $25,000 bonus to be paid along with their salaries next month. There is also hardly a graduate teacher who would object to the proposed salary adjustments, inclusive of allowances for academic credentials based on qualification achieved. Indeed, one would find it difficult to improve upon the proposals given the trenchant acrimony between the Teachers’ Union and Government over the years. After making commendable salary adjustments for members of the disciplined services last year, the administration, President Ali in particular, if my memory serves me correctly, twice promised last year, the last time in December, that salary increases would be announced for teachers. Soon.
With some health workers benefiting from salary adjustments since the beginning of this year, teachers looked on and waited patiently through the first half of the year. Teachers can well remember the context of the administration’s promises to teachers last year: the superb performance of Guyana’s children at both CXC and CAPE, winning quite a few awards regionally, along with spectacular performances at the national level. This year, without the promised salary increase, teachers delivered again, with many Guyanese, even the administration feeling a sense of pride at the consistent and spectacular performances of our students at their CXC and CAPE exams.
While I would be among the first to acknowledge that there is much more that teachers have to do to address the numerous and glaring weaknesses in results at national and regional exams, there is a cadre of teachers who appear not to care about money, as much as this means so much to them and their families, whose drive and commitment it is to see their students perform to the best of their ability, to shine, to become stars in the skies who come to understand that there appear virtually no limits to what they can achieve. It is these teachers, all teachers, the administration spoke to last year when they were inspired by our children’s performance to promise an increase for teachers.
It is for all teachers that I am asking President Irfaan Ali, his administration, to honour his promise of last year and make his proposed salary adjustments retroactive to January 01, 2023. This would go a far way in addressing the tremendous financial constraints faced by teachers, and I am sure will motivate them to work more diligently to bring out the best in our children. Additionally, such a move would greatly ease tensions of politicized relations between teachers and government that teachers are finally coming to be regarded for the value they create in our children, something of immense intrinsic national merit as we as a people continue work to overcome the poison of our national politics trust upon us by our colonial past.
Finally, I take this opportunity to invite President Ali, even Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo, maybe even a delegation of the administration, to take a tour of the Georgetown Public Hospital to see for themselves the staff who are stressed virtually 24/7 in a facility I have come to realize that we have outgrown. I would like him, his administration to meet the staff, shake their hands, see that they are people just like everyone else, but faced with challenges only they can and are prepared to deal with in their most challenging environment. I was made to understand that staff of the Georgetown Public Hospital did not benefit from the salary increases announced for health workers earlier this year, and bring this to the attention of the President and the Minister of Health.
The proposed salary increases are most needed by our medical and ancillary staff at the Georgetown Hospital also, and Government should insist that the hospital’s, all other public health staff get their due salary increases. This again would go a long way in relieving much financial stress within the ranks of our health care workers and improving performance and the quality of health care for Guyanese. We look to the President and his administration to deliver on his promise to teachers, for a better life for all Guyanese, his promise of a One Guyana, where we can finally feel that we are indeed all One People, One, Nation, with One Destiny.
Sincerely,
Craig Sylvester
