PARAMARIBO -The teachers from the nation’s primary and secondary schools are furious over  the fact that the Ministry of Education failed to discuss its plans to let them work in the summer vacation with them. The Ministry of Education, Science and Culture has decided to give pupils and students another chance to receive the lessons that they missed and to improve their scores by attending classes in the summer vacation. The teachers, however, made it clear that the ministry had several months to address the education gap issue but that it failed to do so.

They also made it clear that educators as well as students have the right to enjoy a well-earned vacation. The teachers pointed out that it will be difficult for the ministry to recruit volunteers because most teachers have already made plans for the summer vacation. Some of them have already bought their plane ticket to enjoy their vacation abroad. At the start of this school year several teachers sounded the alarm over the fact that pupils could neither read nor write nor make simple calculations. The ministry at that time did not respond. The teachers explained that it will be extremely difficult to fill the education gap that popped up three years ago.

They also explained that the ministry has not even presented a sound plan on how to fill the education gap. The ministry is willing to pay teachers for working overtime but the teachers are not convinced that they will get paid. “The ministry has demotivated us for so many years and now it has come up with something different. It is already a problem to receive money for the work that we do so how will they be able to pay us for working overtime in the vacation?” One of the teachers who already works overtime complained that she still has not received her money. Lucenda, a teacher who is stationed at a primary school, explained that she already has made plans for the summer vacation and that she will therefore be unavailable. “They could recruit the teachers who have recently graduated so that those teachers could gain some experience,” said a teacher. Another teacher made it clear that she does not hope that the teachers who join the summer program do not just give extra points to the students as the students have to work hard to earn their points…[+]