ADAM'S NOTEBOOK | Guyana's teachers got played in a three-card game

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, November 16, 2023 - There was a time in Guyana when the three-card trick was very popular. Many lost their hard-earned dollars because they trusted their eyes. When the cards were finally placed on the table the person placing his money was certain that he was on to a good thing.

When the cards were turned it was a different story. During the just concluded CG Super 50 tournament involving the cricketing nations of the region, two Guyanese, Kevin Sinclair and Kevlon Anderson, also demonstrated their sleight of hand. On camera, they displayed a skill that caught the eyes of the viewers.

The panel that judged them included Curtly Ambrose, a former West Indies fast bowler. He said in jest that he couldn’t trust Kevin Sinclair. Sinclair’s trick was remarkable.

President Irfaan Ali was as gifted as Sinclair. He displayed his trick to the teachers, primarily those who had earned degrees.  He said that those who had earned the Bachelor’s degree would get an allowance of $10,000 per month; and $30,000 a month for those with a Doctorate.

Those with a Master’s degree would get $20,000 a month. These allowances would be added to their salaries and other benefits.

I later learnt that these teachers were already in receipt of an allowance commensurate with their degrees. The sums announced by President Ali were merely an adjustment to the previous allowances. But even more, they fell short of what the Guyana Teachers’ Union was bargaining for.

Those with a doctorate were getting an allowance of $15,000 prior to the President’s award. There was also the condition by the union that the salary be delinked from the allowance. The three-card trick was to announce $30,000 as opposed to declaring an increase of $15,000.

Worse yet; this increase would be taxed because it is a part of the salary. The Maths says that those teachers are not getting anything much on their take-home pay.

There are just over 13,000 teachers in the system. The package announced by President Ali affects a mere 4,000. The remainder would be getting nothing but the one-off $25,000 payout. But even the old age pensioners would be getting the same $25,000.

The package proposed by the teachers’ union was far reaching. It covered the period 2019 to 2023. It was with the Education Ministry all the time.

But even more. The union asked that the teachers be debunked. But true to the policy of One Guyana, the government is insisting the new graduates from the Cyril Potter College of Education receive the same salary as someone who graduated five or more years earlier.

After the announcement last week there was a propaganda blitz. Some sections of social media proclaimed that teachers were over the moon. The truth was something else. There was already a differential. There was no mention of the move to single out certain teachers for special privileges.

These were the teachers who were seconded from the schools to the Education Ministry. Some of them received allowances ranging from $100,000 to $30,000 per month for the new positions they held. Among the recipients of this emolument were people who were promoted to Heads of Department.

Some were appointed Education Officers both at the regional level and at the national level. These have been ahead of the game. They will also benefit from the once for all $25,000 payout at the end of the year. Those with degrees would enjoy the increase.

When President Irfaan Ali announced the payout for the senior nurses and for the members of the Disciplined Services, it was the same thing. Those who fell for the three-card trick thought that these people were getting a windfall.

One year later, if you can catch up with them, ask them about the impact of the increase. Some of the nurses became so frustrated that they simply jumped on a plane to sell their services elsewhere.

Members of the Disciplined Services who were said to have received salary increases began to hunt other jobs. One army Lieutenant worked as a taxi driver. One night in Festival City he was hijacked, his car taken and he was shot and killed. So much for this pay hike that was said to be the beginning of the road to real salvation.

And as he did back then, President Ali has promised to revisit the pay situation for the rest of the teaching staff. I am not surprised that through all this, the Finance Minister who was sitting off camera when President Ali was making his announcement, said not a word.

And what was worse, none of them mentioned the lot of the other teachers. It took the Vice President to tell a press conference he holds weekly, that the President would announce other increases for the other teachers.

Teachers in Barbados and Trinidad laughed their heads off when they read the reports about the pay increases in Guyana.

The average pay for a low level teacher in Barbados is US$2,000 per month. It is about the same in Trinidad and Tobago. And this is not the pay for graduate teachers.

People talk about the cost of living in the two countries when compared to Guyana. 

House rent is about the same because we copied from the two islands and applied the charges to Guyana. Food is cheaper in Guyana, but only for those who can afford food.

That is why in the wake of the pay adjustment to the 4,000-plus teachers, the union and some members of the wider society accused the government of being disrespectful. At no time did the government give its Ministers and Parliamentarians such a ridiculous increase.

It is amazing what Trinidad did for its people with less oil money than Guyana and with a larger population. Guyana with its billions of oil dollars is presiding over poverty.

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