‘Isolation day’ strike by GTU: School headed by GTU’s president fully staffed

…majority of teachers countrywide turned out for class

By Andrew Carmichael and Raywattie Deonarine

While a small number of teachers heeded the Guyana Teachers Union’s (GTU) call to strike on Monday, schools across the country remained open, including that which is headed by the Union’s President, Mark Lyte.
Lyte himself on Monday said that there were mixed reactions around the country by teachers in response to the Guyana Teachers Union’s (GTU) call for an ‘Isolation Day’ on Monday.
According to the Education Ministry, in education institutions where some teachers chose to stay home, contingency plans were put in place to deal with the situation.
On Monday, the Education Ministry said that since the reopening of school, it has constantly been monitoring the situation in schools to give the necessary support and guidance to teachers, parents and the school administration.
It noted that Monday, the second week of the new school term began with 74 per cent of teachers in schools actively teaching despite calls to stay away from classes by observing an ‘Isolation Day’. This figure, the Ministry said, represents 84 per cent of schools for which it has received data.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Education Ministry said, has stated that this generation of children and youth cannot afford any more disruptions to their education. “The Ministry of Education believes the same and has arranged for the return to face-to-face classes at all levels although in different proportions, as we have recognised too that school closures have harmed the education and development of our pupils. The Ministry is extremely grateful to those teachers who continue to support and facilitate this process, especially after school doors were closed for 18 months,” the Ministry said in a statement.
“We understand the difficult time we are living in and appreciate their continued and unwavering service. The Ministry of Education stands ready to provide any assistance schools may need to ensure they can remain open and continue to function effectively for the benefit of the children of Guyana.”
Lyte believes that the issue of the reopening of schools amidst a rise in positive COVID-19 cases and the impact it is having on teachers across the country is being deemed by some as a political issue.
He added that it should be and agreed that is the reason why the call for an “isolation day” only got tangible support in some regions.
The Guyana Teachers Union said based on their internal records, an estimated 1200-plus teachers have tested positive for the novel coronavirus over the past week.

Not in classroom
Education Minister Priya Manickchand has since contended that those educators did not contract the virus in the classrooms but rather, they became infected prior to the reopening of schools.
Schools were closed since March 2020 and learning only resumed through a blended approach shortly after the assumption of the PPP/C Administration to office in August of that year.
Schools for most categories of students were officially reopened for face-to-face learning on January 3.
The Union is seeking to have the Ministry close schools for 14 days as Guyana is currently experiencing a spike in COVID-19.
“Having listened to the Minister Priya Manickchand that the community has been responsible for the spread, I find the reasoning not well thought out because if the community is responsible for the spread and school is reopened then you are actually causing others to be exposed to that community spread and it could be spread among other communities… We believe having schools closed for fourteen days would provide an opportunity for the Ministry to have a closer look at the numbers and also to make ready those schools that were not fully repaired.”
According to Lyte, the GTU has recorded that some schools have no running water and no proper ventilation while others had dysfunctional washrooms at the time of the reopening of schools last week.
He said the 14 days which the Union is suggesting will allow for an opportunity to have those issues addressed.
Despite this call, many schools across the country remained open and had fruitful classroom activities. The Education Ministry has put all the necessary systems in place to ensure stakeholders operate in a safe environment.

Region Six
In Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) some schools only had their Head Teacher with most of the teaching staff supporting the Union’s call while others were closed.
At Port Mourant Secondary, where Lyte is the substantive head, all the teachers and students were in school.
Nonetheless, while some of the teaching staff supported the GTU’s call, the majority of schools were open with the Head Teacher and another staff present.
Since last week the Rose Hall Nursery had been closed after two positive COVID-19 cases were detected there. Two more were reported at Comprehensive Secondary. In New Amsterdam also, along both the Lower and Upper Corentyne, some teachers and students have tested positive for COVID.
No information could have been garnered from the Department of Education in Region Six as the Education Officer was reportedly always locked in a meeting whenever this publication made contact for information from that department.
But the Education Ministry has confirmed that schools were open in all of the regions and they even posted photos on their Facebook page of students attending schools in the majority of the regions.

Parents’ reaction
Meanwhile, parents had different reactions to the day of isolation and the continued face-to-face learning which is currently taking place. Many of them were not aware of the call by the Union.
According to one parent, she received a call from a teacher of Belvedere Primary School on Monday morning indicating that there would be school all week for her grandson but when she took him to school, she was told that there was no school and was asked to take the child back home.
Jermaine Johnson, who has a child attending Manchester Nursery, also reported that he had no idea that there was going to be no school on Monday.
“I came to bring my son and I heard from a Police officer that there is no school, but I don’t know the reason why,” he said.
However, Natoya James, another parent who has a child going to that school, said she spoke with the Head Teacher.
“The Head Mistress said that they have a strike and no teacher is in school. She said if I want to leave the child she can teach the child and I can come back for her lil early,” she related.
Another parent who also has a child attending that school, Tiloachnie Singh, said he took his daughter to school and left him and went back home.
“When I go to drink tea, my neighbour called me and say that there is no school because the teachers didn’t come to school.”

Excellent turnout in Region 2
Despite the call by GTU, teachers and students continue to attend school for face-to-face classes in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).
According to information shared with Guyana Times, Region Two recorded a high turnout of teachers for both primary and secondary schools.
The newspaper visited several primary and secondary schools throughout the region and saw a high attendance of teachers, however, the attendance of students is still poor.
Among the schools visited were Aurora Primary School, Aurora Secondary and Abram Zuil Secondary. At Queenstown Primary School and Aurora Primary School, the turnout was described as “satisfying” and teachers believe that it is because of parents who are concerned about their children’s health during the pandemic.
“This week the attendance of the students here at our school is the same as the first week… Parents are reluctant to send their children to school because they can be severely affected by the deadly virus,” a teacher of Aurora Primary School said.
Another teacher, Kareshmie Persaud, related that teaching is her profession and she will do anything to let her students receive quality education during this crisis.
“I am a Grade Five teacher who is preparing the students for Grade Six… It is my duty to teach and explain notes to my students. Our school is stocked with sanitation products for the virus and I want to encourage parents to send their children to school,” Persaud said.
Natasha Jaigobin, a mother of two, who was present at one of the schools visited by this publication, said that it was a good decision to reopen school for face-to face learning.
She added that face-to-face learning gives better motivation to study and provide instant feedback and as such, it is too difficult to learn everything through a computer.
“Face-to-face interaction with teachers is better for the learning process… It is better for resolving study problems because not all parents are capable of teaching their child or afford to send them to extra classes,” Jaigobin noted.
Meanwhile, at Taymouth Manor Primary School, it was reported that scores of students were sent home because they were suffering from the common flu.
Guyana Times noticed most children were routinely sanitising their hands and they wore their masks. Temperature checks were also done at all of the schools when this newspaper visited.
Upon entry to the schools’ compound, parents entering to collect their children after classes were directed to the sinks where they were required to wash their hands with the soap that was provided.