Angry parents protest outside Mae’s Primary School

• against internal changes that can affect their children preparing for Grade 6

A decision taken by the governing body at the Mae’s Primary School to make some internal changes over teachers for students in Grade Six did not sit well with parents and as such they turned out in numbers to stage a protest.

 INews saw dozens of irate parents outside of the school’s compound this morning waving placards against the decision made by the learning institution’s principals.

According to some parents, the school cut the teachers’ salaries by $20,000 and is presently engaging in dialogue to have the teachers demoted.

INews was told that this decision comes after the teachers were approached and begun teaching their students for two more hours per day outside of the school in exchange for fees.

It should be noted that this is also after the Mae’s Primary School offered a similar deal at a very costly price to the parents of these Grade Six students as well.

A mother of two students who attend the Mae’s Primary School told this online publication that after the group of angry parents staged their protest against the school’s decision without informing them they (the parents) were told that they either accept the decision or have their children transferred to another school to continue their education.

Parents protesting outside Mae’s school this morning

Meanwhile, the parents of students in Grade 5 of the learning institution in a letter this afternoon stated that they are “very upset” and feel “cheated” where their children are concerned.

They stated that they were promised at a meeting held by the School’s Administration that upon writing of the National Grade 6 Examinations, their students who are currently in Grade 5 would be taught by the Grade 6 teachers as of May 9, 2016.

The fee for the term was $60,000 per child and this was subsequently raised to $80,000  per child to facilitate the transition and for the students to stay up to 17:00hrs for the extra classes with the Grade 6 teachers, the parents explained.

“The parents paid up this extra $20,000 and this commenced. We later learnt that the Grade 6 teachers were not pleased with their remuneration, among other issues, since they were paid little and had to work long hours and they went on a short strike. Their resumption to work was based on whether the Mae’s Schools would meet their demands…this is still in limbo,” the letter read.

Parents of the Grade 5 students are contending that unlike the previous meeting where they were told of the hike in fees they were not consulted by the school’s administration or notified about the issues surrounding the teachers’ payments and fact that they might leave the school to teach elsewhere.

“Based on the probabilities, the parents congregated at the school on Thursday, May 12, 2016 and asked for an audience with the Owners/Directors. The Owner, who previously spoke to only one parent, came for a short while and said she made her decision and spoke to a representative of the parents last Monday. We do not know about this nor know who she was speaking of, she said at that  meeting on Monday, May 9, 2016 she had laid her position down and does not really know – and from all impressions, care, whether the Grade 6 teachers stay or leave…the brunt of such an action would be to the detriment of our students who have to sit the next Grade 6 examinations and would be stuck with the Grade 5 teachers,” the parents’ letter went on to say.

According to the parents, a short note was sent late last week stating that the students will remain with the Grade 5 Teachers, with no proper explanation why this decision was taken and no talk about refund of our fees.

“This is unacceptable, parents were not collectively invited to have an input in the decision the owner had taken…it is shocking to know that private schools in Guyana are allowed to operate independently, for a profit, where they can unilaterally decide the faith of our students.  Apparently, the Ministry of Education is unable to do anything on this matter, this is beyond comprehension and is clearly bold and barefaced robbery!” the parents argued in their letter.