On the occasion of World Teachers Day, the APNU/AFC has called for schools and teachers to have access to mental health professionals as well as “clean, comfortable, and caring work environment”. This was relayed by Shadow Minister of Education-Natasha Singh-Lewis M.P.
Please see full press release-
Today in Guyana we join hands with all Teachers and their Union to celebrate their day. In doing so we reflect on the theme “Transformation of Education begins with the Teacher.” In observance of World Teachers Day on October 5 every year, we celebrate our teachers as we take into account their hard work and dedication, their commitment to nurturing the minds of our pupils despite the challenges they face on a daily basis. One of our immediate challenges today, as we focus on our teachers, is to recognize that they are not only expected to deliver the curriculum or impart knowledge as we commonly expect but they are required to also function as advisors and more recently counselors. We acknowledge that our teachers and the teaching fraternity suffered tremendous loss of life as the Covid Pandemic took many of our loved ones. It is traumatic for our teachers and students to congregate as a class or as a school and acknowledge their loss and continue to plan for the years ahead. It is, therefore, imperative that our teachers too need advisors, Counselors, and more particularly a clean, comfortable, and caring work environment. I wish to state for emphasis that the mental well-being of our teachers should be an emergency priority as it is just as important as any other indicator of success in the education system.
Today we celebrate the innovative methods our teachers are using to bring about success in our schools. It is an opportune time to be mindful that our success depends tremendously on the support from our educators in helping to nurture our nation’s children. We, therefore, salute our teachers as we recognize and appreciate their efforts in contributing to nation-building.
