Ministry recruiting temps to keep strike-hit schools open
-Henry says 2,500 available for placement
With teachers around the country on strike, Minister of Education Nicolette Henry is actively engaged in attempting to hire “temporary” replacements to keep schools open.
“The ministry is recruiting temporary teachers at this time,” Henry told a press conference last evening, while adding that her officers have been in touch with applicants on file and asked the Teaching Service Commission to provide a list by region of those who had passed their recruitment process.
Henry said a total of 2,500 persons are available for temporary placement, inclusive of applicants on file, student teachers from the Cyril Potter College of Education, retired teachers and volunteers.
The strike yesterday by teachers was arguably the largest faced by the government since taking office in 2015 and poses a major problem for it.
Henry, who was supported yesterday by a panel of high ranking education officers including Chief Education Officer Marcel Hutson, remained firm in declaring that government will not forego “conciliation” and move forward with an arbitration panel as requested by the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) to resolve the current deadlock in the negotiations over wages and non-salary benefits.
The union has repeatedly argued that the mandated conciliator—the Department of Labour— has compromised its position by sitting at the negotiation table and making pronouncements to the effect that the union should accept the government’s offer of a $700 million lump sum, which works out to an approximately 5% increase on 2017 salaries.
Most recently, Minister with responsibility for the Labour Department Keith Scott referred to striking teachers as uncaring and accused them of being willing to sacrifice the country’s children for money.