Georgetown: The Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) says schools located in the rural areas are being ignored and in some situations completely forgotten.
According to General Secretary of the GTU, Coretta McDonald, teachers operating in schools located in the rural areas have been complaining of feeling as though they are being overlooked by the Ministry of Education.
She explained that teachers have not been receiving adequate supplies to execute their duties in an effective manner.
Underscoring some of the challenges, of supplying, McDonald said even cardboards, pens, pencils, markers, chalks, and other materials to conduct their lessons are inadequate.
“We keep in contact with these teachers, and in some cases we ask the parents to assist,” McDonald said, adding that the schools that are most in need of supplies and attention are the ones that are being particularly disregarded.
Pinpointed the prevalent areas where teachers are affected, she said these include Matthew’s Ridge, Paramakatoi, Leguan and Port Kaituma.
It was established that in the case of school counselors, they visit mostly the “fancy” Georgetown schools, despite the fact that those are not the schools that are seriously in need of these visits.
She further said delinquencies of Regional Education Officers (REO) are the reasons for the state of the teachers in these villages.
“If they do more of these ground works, they would know what the teachers need, and they can provide them with these, and things would be better for them, which would then better for the students,” McDonald said.
President of the GTU, Colin Bynoe described the REO’s as being too attached to their desks and not doing any actual ground works.
The body is also calling on the Ministry of Education to assess the functions, and keep tabs on these Officers who, the GTU believes are to be blamed for the breakdown.
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