Most school in Berbice remain closed as teachers’ strike continues

Several schools on the Corentyne were closed when children turned up for school on Tuesday in support of the country-wide strike by teachers.
The doors to Moghawon Primary at Manchester were closed all day as the guards stood in the compound to turn away children as they showed up.

There was only one class active at Rose Hall Primary with one teacher. Students reported that instructional work was done in the classroom from the first day.
However a few students remained in the school yard playing all day and at the Port Mourant Primary. The students were initially told not to turn up for school.
President of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) Mark Lyte had stated that teachers will not be on the road protesting but rather they were encouraged to stay at home.
“Our teachers have been told to stay at home until further notice, so they will not be on the streets everyday but they will not be in the classroom at the same time,” Lyte said.

Meanwhile, parents have expressed different views on the strike; some in support while others are against it. Nevertheless, parents generally seemed to be interested in the educational development of their children.
According to Robinta Thomas, a mother of four, the current situation is a worrying one.
“I don’t know what the teachers’ pay is or what they are going through but with the children t is very tough but they need to be schooled. So when they get there and they are forced to come back home it is tough as a mother to deal with that. But on the teachers behalf I don’t know what to say if they should get it or not.”
Another parent, Steve Beaton is against the strike.
“Public Servants in general need more money, all of them; the teachers, the nurses, police… It is unreasonable for the teachers to call a strike at this time and demanding that they get forty percent. I hope a solution will come about quickly. I hope that the Government will stand firm in their negotiating and if the negotiating team can’t get the job done then get another team,” Beaton said.
Region Six Chairman David Armogan says he is in support of the teachers and questions why the government seems reluctant to go to arbitration since the two sides remain in a deadlock.
“I empathize with the teachers because I believe they have a legitimate right to ask for increased because they like everyone else in this country have to deal with a decent wage. So they have a legitimate right to bargain with the Government for increases wages and salaries but it is unfortunate that it has met a dead lock…. The process of dealing with negotiations is that if you come to a stalemate in the negotiations the next process is arbitration. However, I noticed that the government has been backing away from arbitration,” Armogan said.