Guyanese union urges teachers to boycott resumption of classes

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – The Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) on Monday urged teachers to stay away from school in protest at the Ministry of Education’s decision to conduct classes and examinations during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The teachers were due to return to classes to assist students writing the National Grade Six Assessment and the Barbados-based Caribbean Examinations Council Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE).

The grade-six assessment is set for July 1 and 2 while the CSEC exams and CAPE are set to begin on July 13.

The union said that with Guyana having 154 cases of the virus and 12 deaths, the situation poses a threat to the well-being of all Guyanese whose desire it is to remain healthy and is, therefore, advising teachers to remain in the safety of their homes.

“There should be no sense of guilt felt by any teacher since the union’s recommendations to have these examinations written at a later date fell on deaf ears. We remain committed to the development of Guyana by way of an educated nation but cannot risk the lives of our dedicated educators, their families, and that of our learners,” the union said.

“Further, we remind every teacher that victimisation measures will be resisted in the strongest possible way by the GTU,” the union added.

Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.