Teacher accuses education officers of victimisation

A former teacher of Cotton Field Secondary School in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), David Marslowe, is

accusing two Regional Education Officers of victimisation, after he reportedly approached the Chief Labour Officers over unpaid salaries.

Marslowe visited Guyana Times on Thursday and made complaints against Regional Education Officer (REDO), Region Two Baramdai Seepersaud and Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) District Education Officer (DEO) Immanuel Bridgewater.

According to Marslowe, with 15 years of teaching experience at the Cotton Filed Secondary School in Essequibo, he applied for temporary transfer to the Houston Secondary School in 2012 to be able to attend the University of Guyana (UG).

“In 2012 I applied for secondment to pursue studies at the University. However certain problems I encountered and that would have stopped me from going to UG. I wrote to the Vice Chancellor and so on,” he said.

Marslowe relayed that an application for a permanent transfer was made in September 2015 and submitted to the Region Two (ag) REDO Baramdai Seepersaud but no response was given.

According to Marslowe, “Last year September I applied for a transfer and never received a reply. The transfer was from Essequibo to come over to Georgetown because my family, everybody is over this side. This year January, the acting REDO, Miss Seepersaud, she called the Head Mistress at Houston Secondary where I was seconded to, to say that she was made to understand that I’m not teaching, I’m not going to work but I’m still being paid. Every month you’re supposed to send a work certificate to the region. The head teacher has to prepare that. It’s supposed to go from Houston Secondary to the Department of Education in Georgetown and they are expected to send it to the region so you can be paid.”

The teacher of 15 years asserted that he was not paid for January and February, voicing that every time he called Seepersaud, she would tell him a new date to expect his salaries. Eventually, in March, he sought the assistance of the Chief Labour Officer John Adams and during the budget debate meeting, Marslowe through the intervention of Adams was able to meet Education Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine where he discussed the matter with him. According to Marslowe, Minister Roopnaraine advised Adams to have a discussion with the (ag) REDO highlighting that it was not right for her to hold his (Marslowe’s) salaries.

“I did not even get a letter from her saying sir I hear x, y z and as a result these are the actions that are being taken. Nothing was said,” Marslowe told Guyana Times.

After the Chief Labour Officer met with Seepersaud, Marslowe was able to acquire his salaries for January and February and a promise was made by Seepersaud to Adams that the action would not be repeated; however, this promise was not upheld since he was not paid for March.

“On the 4th of April when school reopened, I went back to Essequibo to find out about my salary for March month. I was given an advance, I applied again for a transfer. When I applied for the transfer, it was given to me… She also said to me that with effect from May, because she would have granted me the transfer in April, Region Two would not be paying me anymore. On the 5th of April, I took in the transfer to Mr Bridgewater, the (ag) DEO. He collected it,” the teacher voiced.

He indicated that after the document of transfer was submitted, he never received a response from Bridgewater, though he called on numerous occasions to conduct a follow up. However, on April 22, he decided to go to Bridgewater’s Office located at 68 Brickdam, Georgetown. “When I went, Mr Bridgewater shout at me. He chased me out of his office in front of everybody. I went back the Monday morning which would have been the 25th and he said to me, sir, Ms Seepersaud called me and told me not to accept you in the region. So I said sir I find that strange that Miss gave me a transfer and now she’s calling you to say, you’re not to take me. Something is wrong.”

Marslowe was then informed by Bridgewater to return to Essequibo by May 3 and he was sent away without any letter to show that he was rejected. “I told him, sir, I don’t have any where to go, where will I go? He said he don’t concern.”

According to the teacher, when he tried to contact Seepersaud, he was told that he would have to travel to Essequibo since she refused to have any discussions over the phone.

After not being paid for the month of May, and not being financially stable to travel back to Essequibo, Marslowe opted to send a written plea to President David Granger, who in turn responded, advising that he would forward the complaint to the Education Minister. Marslowe was never contacted by the Education Ministry and after many calls, was unable to reach any member of authority at the Ministry.

Attempts to speak to Minister Roopnaraine on the subject were unsuccessful.