Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo has revealed that government is considering launching an investigation into the hundreds of duty free concessions for vehicles that were being administrated by the Guyana Teacher’s Union (GTU).
During his, press conference today, Jagdeo stated that during his tenure as President, there was a multi-year agreement in place whereby, annually, the government gave 100 duty free vehicles to GTU for their teachers. However, he said, “ The mistake I probably made was to allow the GTU to administer, to choose who and who gets.” Jagdeo added that the system has since been corrupted and from what he is hearing, it’s not only friends and family benefitting from the concessions but there is an overall corrupt system.
He further noted that the government has also set up a housing fund for one year but the GTU leadership didn’t seem too interested in those matters.
He also noted the GTU’s objection to President Irfaan Ali’s recent engagement with teachers from all parts of the country which allowed them to air their concerns. The GTU had claimed it was not invited, however a circulated memorandum showed that the union was welcomed to attend the event.
On that note Jagdeo said, “ And I see the last thing they wanted was the teachers talking directly to the president because they’re engaged in a healthy dose of suppression and so people don’t get to bring their matters directly to the policymakers. “
It is worth noting that at the consultation with the teachers, Ali stated that the government would explore tax-free allowances for teachers and also committed to addressing their housing needs.. He recognized that some educators who have been allocated land are struggling to secure loans or financing for property development and the government is willing to provide support in this regard.
Additionally, he said the government commitment to exploring solutions for teachers with pending applications dating back to pre-2019.
