Coretta McDonald, General Secretary of the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU), on Friday voiced concerns over a new recruitment drive by US-based Participate Learning, warning that the initiative could significantly undermine Guyana’s already strained education system. McDonald’s comments follow the appearance of an advertisement in Friday’s Stabroek News detailing lucrative teaching opportunities in the United States.
“From GTU’s standpoint, one, it would make our country poorer,” McDonald stated in an invited comment to the Sunday Stabroek. She elaborated that the departure of teachers for these overseas roles would not only lessen the GTU’s membership but also impose a heavy burden on the educators who remain in the system.
The Participate Learning advertisement outlines offers of annual salaries ranging from $41,000 to $55,000 USD for Guyanese teachers, alongside medical coverage, airfare, and the option for teachers to bring their spouses and children. Positions are available in English as a Second Language (ESL), Spanish Immersion, and Spanish as a Foreign Language, with vacancies in public schools across North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
