Dear Editor,
Some teachers on the picket line were saying we now have oil money therefore salaries should be increased. The GTU and teachers have never spoken out about the unfair oil contract with Exxon that robs teachers and all of us of much needed revenue to double everybody’s salaries and meet all the demands in the teachers’ collective bargaining agreement. While the KN, SN, and civil society groups continue to carry the charge, the GTU and fellow unions have remained largely quiet as if more income from our oil is not linked to better working conditions for all workers.
The TUC is silent, probably out of loyalty to their PNC folks, and the FITUG unions are equally silent out of loyalty to their PPP masters. These teachers never took up the cause of renegotiation. Why? Is it because the PNC does not want renegotiation of the bad oil contract that robs us of billions of US$$ every year? Aren’t the teachers – the so-called smartest ones in our midst – who teach the rest of us, supposed to be marching and protesting for more money from the oil companies? Isn’t more oil income linked to better benefits for teachers? How come they can’t see that? Are these the ones teaching our children? Where is “critical thinking?”
One teacher’s sign complained about parents getting $45,000 and teachers getting $8,000. Why are teachers begrudging the money for students given to the parents? Should we not put students first? Isn’t education all about the students, and the three legs of education are students, teachers, and parents? How come the sign did not say teachers got $25,000 bonuses too on top of the 6.5% increase, and the in-range increases. Sure, teachers and all workers in Guyana should be paid more but should we expect that if we do, student achievement at NGSA and CSEC should go up too?
Are these teachers too dumb to march and lobby for renegotiation of the oil contract? They are silent, but they talk about oil money. How do they teach critical thinking to the students? Why don’t we have a conversation about why so many students are failing? Are teachers really teaching smartly? Many students report teachers are getting them to copy notes from the board most of the time. That is malpractice, not real teaching. Will student performance get better if we double salaries (and we should)? NO. Because there is no accountability. The Union protects bad teachers, and there is weak supervision. If we talk about better salaries, let us also talk about better results from each teacher’s class. How about that? Is that fair?
Sincerely,
M. Singh
