Minister Manickchand engages GTU on way forward for Christmas term
Press Release
Ministry of Education – Tuesday, August 11, 2020
As part of a holistic plan for the re-opening of schools, Minister of Education, Hon. Priya Manickchand invited the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) to a meeting to listen to the Union’s views about the impact of COVID 19 on the education sector and teachers in particular.
Prior to that meeting, the Minister made it clear that be it virtual, on platforms like Zoom or Google Classroom, via the Learning Channel or a physical opening the most important issue to address presently is keeping teachers, children and their families safe as well as keeping children engaged academically.
September is usually the beginning of a new academic year; however, GTU expressed the view that schools were unprepared at present to accommodate a physical re-opening that would allow for the safety of all involved.
A final decision has not been made relative to the physical re-opening of schools. The Ministry continues to engage stakeholders on the issue and commits to making an announcement soonest.
Present at the meeting were, the President of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU), Mr. Mark Lyte, Chief Planning Officer (CPO), Ms. Nicola Johnson, Director NERD, Ms. Jennifer Cumberbatch, Human Resources Manager- MoE, Ms. Jacqueline Simon, Patrick Onwuzirike, Assistant Chief Education Officer (ACEO)- Technical, Ms. Samantha Williams ACEO- Nursery, Ms. Carol Benn, ACEO- Primary, June-Ann Gonsalves, ACEO-Secondary, GTU General Secretary, Coretta Mc Donald, First Vice President-GTU, Lesmeine Collins, and GTU Treasurer, Sumanta Alleyne.