150 teachers to get duty-free concessions under multi-year agreement

Some 150 teachers drawn from across the ten administrative regions will soon be able to access duty-free concessions, according to the President of the Guyana Teacher’s Union (GTU), Dr Mark Lyte.
The concessions are being granted by a 2024- 2026 multi-year agreement signed between the Education Ministry and the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) on August 21.
The provision covers vehicles with capacities of up to 1800cc, outboard engines of up to 75hp for persons in the riverine areas, and All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) for eligible persons in the hinterland.
As a result, some 150 teachers will be able to import vehicles that meet the criteria without having to pay duty, thereby lowering the overall cost of the vehicle significantly.
According to Lyte, the provision which is a part of the non-salary benefits for teachers, will motivate them to strive in their profession.
“We’ve had increase in number of duty-free concessions. And of course, the big one has always been the percentage that teachers will gain… The agreement has 150, we used to be getting 100, so it’s now 150 per year. So, 50 additional teachers will be eligible for duty-free,” the GTU president said briefly.
In 2019, 300 educators from across the country were selected to benefit from duty-free concessions as part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which was signed between the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) and the Education Ministry.
The concessions were covered under the Memorandum of Understanding for 2018 to 2020 and saw 100 teachers benefitting from the provision per annum.
This new agreement inked under the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Government will see an additional 150 teachers benefitting from concessions over three years and 450 teachers overall.
This will take effect from January 2025, given that the deadline for submission for duty-free concession for 2024 concluded on February 29.
During a virtual broadcast, following the signing of the multi-year agreement between the Education Ministry and GTU, President Dr Irfaan Ali had reemphasised his government’s commitment to ensure the nation’s education sector is modernised and transformed, reaching a status that is second to none.
“Over the next three years, teachers would see a direct increase of 27 per cent to their salaries. But that is not the totality of the increase. I want to go through some aspects of the holistic agreement. In 2024, they will receive a 10 per cent increase. In 2025, they will see an eight per cent increase and in 2026, they will see a nine per cent increase,” President Ali had stated.
He highlighted that the agreement has an adjustable clause. President Ali explained that if at any time the government announces a higher increase for public servants, then teachers will get the difference between the increase they initially agreed to and the higher increase given.
The new agreement also sees an increase in the number of concessions that will be granted to teachers by 50 per cent, in addition to the policy that all teachers who hold a substantive appointment as a senior master, mistress or above within three years of retirement and have not received a previous duty-free concession are entitled.

Criteria
To access concessions, applicants must submit copies of their birth certificate, first and present appointment letters, TIN certificate, and national identification card.
There are different criteria for which teachers can benefit from duty-free concessions.
Criterion A includes all Heads or Principals and Deputy Heads or Deputy Principals of Grades ‘A’ and ‘B’ institutions. They get this concession immediately on appointment, or with three (3) years remaining before retirement.
Criterion B covers Head Teachers or Administrators of Grades ‘C’, ‘D’ and ‘E’ institutions. They get this concession after three years in their appointment, or with three (3) years remaining before retirement.
Criterion C is applicable to all Senior Masters or Mistresses; Heads of Departments of all schools; and Lecturer II of CPCE, Technical, or Craft Institutions. They get this concession after serving six years in the same position after their appointment. These persons must have at least three years of service remaining before retirement.