Response to letters in the Press

Response to teachers being paid for the marking of SBAs

Dear Editor,

The Ministry of Education appreciates the invaluable work done by teachers to mark School Based Assessments (SBAs). The Ministry also appreciates the suggestion made in a letter published in the Stabroek News on March 12th, 2018 with the title “Teachers must be compensated for grading SBAs”. However, it must be noted that the Ministry of Education is not in a position presently to compensate teachers for the grading of SBAs.

Ministry of Education

Public Relations Department

Dear Editor,

This letter is a response to a letter published in the Kaieteur News on April 24th, 2018 titled “Major concern about the Grade Six pupils at Golden Grove Primary School.”

The Head Teacher of the Golden Grove Primary School has been teaching Grade Six level classes for over 20 years. The Head Teacher begun acting in the position as of January 2017. From that date to present, Assistant Mistresses (AMs) have been teaching the grade six class. However, because they are new to the class, the Head Teacher, with her wealth of experience, would occasionally step into the classrooms to offer guidance to the teachers.

The Head Teacher is not permanently placed in the Grade Six classroom. Further, as it relates to allegations that the Head Teacher is not performing proper administrative duties, based on investigation it was proven to be quite the opposite.

Further, as it relates to the content for Grade Five students not being taught completely, it must be noted that when students enter Grade Six, teachers take into consideration what topics were not taught in Grade 5 and ensure that those topics are covered before they begin teaching the Grade Six content.

Ministry of Education

Public Relations Department