MoE rejects threats made to teachers who choose not to strike

The Ministry of Education is aware of open and subtle threats being made to teachers who decided not to participate in the present strike action being engaged by the Guyana Teachers’ Union.

The Ministry has received several complaints from recipients of the GTU facilitated Government of Guyana scholarships that they are being advised that their scholarship would be in jeopardy if they do not participate in the strike.

The Government of Guyana through the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Public Service wishes to make explicitly clear that scholarships are not granted based on anyone’s political affiliation nor whether they support strike action or not and would not be taken away because of the same.

The GTU does not have jurisdiction to revoke any scholarship that was granted to a teacher by the Government of Guyana even if the scholarships came from the arrangement between the Government and the Union.

The Ministry of Education is equally aware that the promise of duty-free concession and the power to withhold the same is being used in these circumstances to gain participation in the strike.

The Ministry of Education is making it clear to teachers who do not want to participate in strike action that they cannot and will not be punished and that the Ministry will guarantee their protection. 

We reject all attempts by politically motivated forces within the GTU to threaten those teachers who have chosen not to participate in the present strike action and ask that good sense prevail as we work in earnest to move the education system forward and meaningfully engage our children academically at this time of international crisis.