HGP Nightly News – A leaked letter from teachers at Beterverwagting Secondary School (BVSS) paints a troubling picture from inside Guyana’s education system, with educators alleging that children are being pushed through grades without basic skills, while repeated warnings to the Ministry of Education go unanswered.
The teachers describe what they say is a culture of promotion without preparedness, where students advance into secondary school unable to manage foundational literacy and numeracy, and where schools that speak honestly about the problem face pressure rather than support.
According to the letter, students are arriving in Grade 7 after eight years of schooling (two years in nursery and six in primary), yet many reportedly cannot identify letters or count properly. The teachers claim the last academic year was the worst they have ever experienced.
With four Grade 7 classes, staff estimate that more than 80 percent of those students lack basic literacy and numeracy skills. They say this forces secondary-level teachers to deliver remedial instruction they were never trained to provide.
“The teachers specialize in subjects like Math, English and Business. They are not trained in phonics or basic literacy,” the letter states. Yet, the teachers allege that within five years they are expected to explain why students cannot perform at CSEC level, an expectation they describe as “ludicrous.”
TEACHERS CLAIM MINISTRY RESPONSE WAS “DISMISSIVE”
When concerns were raised with Ministry officials, BVSS teachers allege the response offered no targeted intervention. Instead, they claim the Headmistress was instructed to write a letter “begging” for two literacy teachers to cover an entire level of students described as non-readers.
Teachers argue this reflects a wider pattern, not a one-off incident. They further claim that once concerns enter the public domain, the Ministry’s approach shifts toward what they describe as retaliation rather than reform, including audits to identify minor errors, insults directed at staff, and pressure on administrators to issue positive statements for optics.
“THE SBA PROBLEM”: ALLEGATIONS OF PRESSURE TO INFLATE RESULTS
One of the most serious claims in the letter concerns School-Based Assessments (SBAs). Teachers allege that the literacy gaps are so severe that completing SBAs in an honest and meaningful way becomes nearly impossible. They claim students require such intensive assistance that teachers end up spoon-feeding the work to the point where educators are effectively marking tasks that are not independently produced.
They further allege that when realistic grades are submitted, the Ministry sends them back with instructions to “work with the students,” which the teachers interpret as pressure to inflate results. In the teachers’ framing, the system becomes focused on protecting numbers rather than confronting learning loss.
CLAIMS OF UNEQUAL SUPPORT BETWEEN SCHOOLS
The leaked letter also alleges unequal treatment across the school system. BVSS teachers claim Ministry records clearly track the school’s performance, meaning officials know when the institution delivers strong results. Yet, they argue that recognition, resources, and public praise are concentrated on “national schools” which they say already receive top-performing students and stronger institutional support.
WARNING TO PARENTS AND A CALL FOR URGENT HELP
In the letter, teachers issue a direct warning to parents of incoming Grade 7 students, saying children are being placed into a system that cannot meet their needs without urgent specialist intervention.
The teachers also flag concerns about absenteeism and cases of students working full-time jobs, issues they claim are repeatedly reported but ignored, while responsibility is shifted back onto teachers. Staff say they are speaking out now because silence, in their view, has become complicity.
They are calling for immediate literacy specialists, structured remedial programmes, and professional respect for educators facing the crisis on the ground. Their central warning is blunt: if nothing changes, they fear another generation will move through the education system unable to read, write, or compete, while official reports continue to project success.
