In defiance of the Education Ministry’s reopening of schools for examinations, the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) has asked its members to remain at home in light of the COVID-19 crisis.
GTU President Mark Lyte
The Ministry had instructed teachers to return to work from Monday to prepare for upcoming examinations, but the Union believes that the exam dates should be postponed until authorities manage to flatten the curve of this life-threatening virus.
It went on to say that the situation is still fluid and, therefore, urged educators to work from home and continue disseminating information through online platforms.
In a statement, the GTU voiced, “The decision was based on the fact that Guyana’s situation remains fluid. Positive cases of coronavirus are still being recorded and this possesses a threat to the wellbeing of all Guyanese whose desire is to remain healthy. To this end, teachers are advised to remain in the safety of their homes and continue to give virtual support to learners as they finalise their preparations for their respective examination.”
The Union sought to mention that no sense of guilt should be felt by teachers, since the Union’s recommendations for a later exam date was not acknowledged.
The Union’s recommendations to have these examinations written at a later date fell on deaf ears, it said, adding that it remains committed to the “development of Guyana by way of an educated nation, but cannot risk the lives of our dedicated educators, their families and that of our learners,” the GTU noted.
Assurances were made for them not to fall prey to victimisation, since this will be resisted in the “strongest possible way” by the GTU.
“Your Union will fight to uphold the right to life for every member. We urge that you remain safe and continue to follow the health protocols established by WHO and supported by the Ministry of Public Health here in Guyana,” the Union said to teachers.
Guyana Times was informed that a few schools on the coastland saw turnouts of about 50 per cent of teachers on Monday, especially on the outskirts of the city. Some principals chose not to comment on the matter when contacted.
However, one teacher at Queen’s College explained that there was some hesitation from her colleagues to show up for work, given that Georgetown is the COVID-19 epicentre. They are working to prep as soon as possible to avoid any prolonged contact.
“While we don’t want to be here and know that our families can be affected, we can’t see our children fail so it was a tough call. I hope we can finish soon and then work at home with our children because they too are at risk. Some of them don’t even know what social distancing really is,” she explained.
Head Teacher of the West Demerara Secondary School, Harinarine told this publication that 26 teachers turned out for work.
