Govt mulls change to cash grant distribution system for teachers

Last Updated on Tuesday, 24 December 2024, 22:19 by Denis Chabrol

Georgetown District teachers waiting to gain entry to the St Stanislaus College compound to uplift their GY$100,000 cash grant.

In the wake of widespread stinging criticism by teachers and the wider public about hundreds of educators in the Ministry of Education’s Georgetown District having been made to line up to collect the GY$100,000 cash grant, the Guyana government is mulling new arrangements for distribution in other densely populated regions, according to well-placed sources.

Neither Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh nor  Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo responded to queries, but a government functionary said the administration was considering whether to arrange for the cash grant cheques to be delivered at schools where the teachers work rather than per region.

Demerara Waves Online News was informed that a number of senior government officials were concerned that the teachers were made to endure a virtually chaotic arrangement to uplift the cheques.

The Ministry 0f Finance and the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development are said to be collaborating for the cash grant cheque distribution to teachers in the 10 administrative regions, except Georgetown which is a separate district under the education system and falls directly under the central Ministry of Education.

Many teachers in the Georgetown District complained bitterly on Monday that they were first made to queue up in the hot sun at the Croal  Street entrance of the Ministry of Education and due to “the confusion” were told to go across to St Stanislaus College, Brickdam. After walking across to the college, they waited for almost an hour before a small number of them were allowed to enter at a time to uplift their cheques.

In the auditorium, Ministry of Finance officials were seated at desks that were tagged according to where teachers reside, not the schools at which they teach and were registered.

By mid afternoon Monday, the large number of persons who had earlier converged St Stanislaus College dwindled to a mere trickle. The very few who arrived well after 4:30 PM were turned away and told to return on Tuesday.

Many teachers expressed disgust at the way they were being humiliated by having to join lines to collect the cash grant, probably for a photo opportunity. “They should have given these cheques to the HM (Headmaster/ Headmistress) and let them deliver it. This is sheer madness,” a teacher said. Another educator said, “They want to see the slaving teachers out here.”

The Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) did not offer a reaction but Shadow Minister of Education, Coretta Mc Donald echoed the call by many teachers to improve the grant distribution system and move away from the “barbaric, crude, lawless and inhumane treatment” of educators.  “As a matter of fact, the very system that was used to gather the teachers’ information could have been implemented again for the distribution or even better the monies could have been deposited in their bank account,” said Ms Mc Donald who is also the GTU’s General Secretary. She predicted that the photo opportunities would be used to oil the government’s propaganda machines.