‘Time to focus on the children’ – President Ali says as GTU, Education Ministry ink new deal 

President Dr. Irfaan Ali Wednesday welcomed the new deal inked by the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) and the Ministry of Education and emphasised that the stakeholders must now intensify their focus on the nation’s children. 

The new deal covers the period 2024 to 2026. 

Offering some details, the Guyanese Head of State said teachers will get a direct 27% increase in salaries over the three years. In 2024, they will get a 10% increase; in 2025, an 8% increase and in 2026, a 9% increase. 

Notably, those increases can be adjusted if any general public service salary increases are higher. 

The President also noted that the salary increases are just part of the “comprehensive” deal inked with the government. He pointed out that the government is focused on teachers’ overall welfare. 

So there is a menu of other interventions, he said, to support teachers. Those include additional support for teachers working in hinterland communities and other remote areas, more scholarships, and payments for marking School Based Assessments (SBAs). 

There are also more duty-free concessions so more teachers can get vehicles at a cheaper cost. 

Now that the deal has been inked, the President called on the stakeholders to redouble their focus on learners all across the nation. 

“It is now time for us to focus on our children and on all our plans in transforming our education system to deliver world-class education and the best possible education to our children,” President Ali said. 

GTU President Mark Lyte and the union’s second Vice President Julian Cambridge inked the agreement on Wednesday with the ministry’s Permanent Secretary Shannielle Hoosein- Outar and Chief Education Officer Saddam Hussain.

The deal came after months of intense engagements, a court case, and a teachers’ strike. 

In a release, the GTU said the decision to accept the government’s offer came after a meeting of the General Council.

“This General Council instruction is binding according to Rule 13 of the Guyana Teachers’ Union Constitution,” the release noted.

The union also noted that the salary and non-salary benefits that are part of the deal “aim to provide additional support for teachers not only in their professional growth but also in their personal and family lives.”