Education Minister backs direct consultation with stakeholders on teachers’ salaries, benefits

– process to commence when Pres Ali returns from UNGA

The Office of the President will be leading consultations for salary increases and benefits for teachers and Education Minister Priya Manickchand is in favour of the direct engagements with the stakeholders.
Speaking with the media on Monday, Manickchand reminded that the President’s Office will be taking the lead on these efforts. While the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) has been cordially engaged on various matters in a good working relationship, she is ‘not sure’ whether the representative body will be involved in the consultations.
Consultations will commence when the President returns from the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) which is slated to be held between September 18 and 26, 2023.
“We continue at the Ministry of Education to speak to GTU very regularly and cordially. We have a good relationship with professional matters but the President has made it clear that his office will deal with salaries and that kind of benefit,” the Minister positioned.
According to her, direct engagements with the stakeholders will be more feasible.
“I think there are many ways to determine. If I was waiting on any Union or PTA body to say what some of the needs are, then people would still be without needs. So, I too like engaging directly with the immediate users of particular systems.”
Coming out of a press conference last Saturday, President Irfaan Ali had determined that the consultations will provide an overall insight into the needs of teachers, not just salary bumps. He assured that the aim is to look at all issues affecting educators and solutions to strengthen the sector.
“I can’t pre-empt what the teachers would raise with me but I’ve said before, like we did with the nurses, there will be the adjustment for teachers but the consultations would be beyond that. I know whatever the teachers raise with me, we will be working together in having a macro view of what can be done, not only to improve them individually and collectively but how together can strengthen the education system,” Ali disclosed.
When asked whether the GTU would be involved in the talks, the Head of State underlined, “Every Guyanese who wants to be involved will be involved. My consultations will be public. Very open.”
In January, it was reported that money has been set aside to cater to teachers in the National Budget 2023.
Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo pointed out that the PPP/C Government has increased wages and salaries by almost $11 billion more in just their third year in office, than what the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) provided between 2015 and 2019. Additionally, the Vice President emphasised that providing benefits to the people is about more than money. It’s about creating sustainable development.
In May, the VP posited that the Government is committed to addressing the anomalies in teachers’ salary scales, as was done for those in healthcare and the Joint Services. He further noted that those teachers who are advancing themselves academically will be adequately compensated.
Last year November, the Government announced an eight per cent salary increase for all public servants, retroactive to January 1, 2022. These salary increases included teachers, as well as members of the Disciplined Services, constitutional officeholders, and Government pensioners.
Some 8000 members of the Guyana Police Force, Guyana Fire Service, and the Guyana Defence Force also benefitted from salary increases that amounted to over $1 billion.
Then in December, the Head of State subsequently announced another $1.5 billion in salary increases for over 5000 healthcare workers ranging from 36.4 per cent to as much as 74.7 per cent.