On September 29, Chief Education Officer Marcel Hutson circulated a memorandum mandating teachers to supervise students at all times, even while on their lunch break. Now the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) is calling on Hutson to retract and amend the circular to exclude lunch breaks.
“The breaks are there because it allows teachers to get the necessary opportunity to recuperate from mental and physical stress they go through managing children for a session. So, if this is taken away it would have a serious impact on the mental state of our teachers and we are asking that the CEO retract this memo and ensure he amends it to exclude lunch break,” President of the GTU, Mark Lyte said.
“Students must be supervised at all times during place and at lunch while at school. You must ensure that a schedule is developed in identifying those teachers who will facilitate this process on a daily or weekly basis. The rule of one teacher to every 20 students must be observed if students are to be taken to any event/activity outside of school. A fitness for purpose survey must be done where students are required to occupy or use grounds, buildings, transportation and the like. Parental consent must be sought at all times where students are required to be taken away from school for events/activities. A brief report on all activities that require the participation of students must be submitted to the respective Heads of Departments for perusal by senior officials of central Ministry if necessary,” the circular read.
Lyte said the memo seeks to take away the lunch break allotted to the teachers and noted that it is a direct contravention of the labour laws which states that all workers are required to have breaks.
“The specific mention of number of pupils, this is not realistic because there are classes with over 30 students. In addition to lunch break, this present administration they have gone to the extent to frustrate our teachers and to frustrate the administration of the union,” he said.
The memorandum came after six-year-old Glenshaw Skeete of Graham Street, Plaisance, East Coast Demerara was crushed by a fallen goal post during a school sports practice session held at the Plaisance Community Ground earlier on Wednesday September 27. He was a student of the St Paul’s Primary School. (Lakhram Bhagirat)
