Union Urges Teachers To Boycott Resumption Of Classes In Guyana

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, June 8, 2020 (CMC) – The Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) urged teachers, today, to stay away from schools, 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 (NGSA), the Barbados-based Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE).

NGSA is set for July 1 and 2, while the CSEC and CAPE exams are set to begin on July 13.

The GTU 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 is to remain healthy, and is therefore advising teachers to remain in the safety of their homes.

“The decision was based on the fact that Guyana’s situation remains fluid. Positive cases of the coronavirus are still been recorded, and this poses a threat to the well-being of all Guyanese, whose desire is to remain healthy,” the GTU said in a statement.

“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.

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