The recently-submitted findings and accompanying recommendations of the extensive Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the education sector were “outside the parameters” of a key stakeholder, the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU). As such, the organisation has stated its outright condemnation of the proposal to increase teachers’ retirement age from 55 to 60, and possibly to 65.
GTU President Mark Lyte affirmed the organisation’s strong stance on the sidelines of the May Day celebrations on Monday, explaining that teachers should not be forced to retire in their 60s.
In the interview with Guyana Times, Lyte even suggested that GTU was not part of the consultations which eventually recommended increasing the retirement age.
GTU President Mark Lyte
“As a union we observed that a copy of the work done by the committee of the CoI was presented to the Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine…GTU wants to make it categorically clear that we were not part and parcel of that particular commission, Mr Caesar [COI Chairman Ed Caesar], I heard, said that GTU was part of that, so I want to make it clear to the nation that it wasn’t seen fit at that time for GTU to be a part of that, so whatever they came up with is outside of the parameters of GTU,” Lyte pointed out.
Late last week at a presentation ceremony, Caesar was quoted as saying that it was being recommended “quietly” that the age of retirement should be “improved” from 55 to 60, while noting that categories of workers who acquire “the 33 and one-third years” of service could still retire at 55.
“But we are going further, if they can produce annually a clean bill of health they can go to 65, that is for consideration by the Ministry of Education and its departments,” Caesar had also noted.
The GTU President, however, contends that with prevailing challenges that teachers face, many might not make it to 65, should the Education Ministry move forward with the proposals.
“The Union continues to emphasise that we believe that 55 is a good age for retirement, because you have to be a teacher to understand the challenges that go on in the school system and having a teacher work until 60, I’m afraid that we may not have a lot of people surviving that time,” Lyte told this publication.
“We are saying that if it is to be consensual that a person mandatorily retires at 55, you can extended your time to 60 or 65…depending on your own volition. We don’t believe that teachers should be forced to retire at 60 or 65…we do not agree with what was recommended by the Commission,” Lyte further stressed.
He also noted that there were provisions in the country’s Constitution on the retirement age, adding that reforms needed to be undertaken before any extension could be implemented.
“The Constitution speaks to age of retirement, so there has to be reforms in order to address that and GTU is sounding it early before the consultation process begins that we will not support the extension of the age,” the GTU President added.
The Preliminary Report into the state of the education sector was handed over to Education Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine on Friday last, and the final report is expected to be handed over in the next two weeks, according to the Commission.
The CoI Chairman had highlighted that there were 98 consultations countrywide with contributions from all stakeholders, adding that the Commission found that there was need for greater collaboration between the regional education departments and the regional administrations to determine the educational needs of the particular region.
Government had launched an inquiry into the education system in April last year with the stated aim of gathering “evidential bases” for the revision, upgrading, and extension of the system.
The CoI set up to conduct this probe would have held hearings across the country with parents, guardians, teachers, religious leaders, unions and the Private Sector on their perception of the state of the education system, as well as recommendations for its enhancement. These series of engagements stretched into late November, with the CoI having a number of extensions.
