PM urged to restore power of regions to appoint teachers Stabroek News May 4, 2000 The recently-concluded 116th annual delegates conference of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) is calling on Prime Minister Sam Hinds to restore to Regional Education Officers (REDOs) their previous authority. Delegates said that the present system is creating some degree of hardship among teachers throughout the country and they are prepared to hold urgent talks with government to have the situation reversed. The motion was passed at the conference which was held at the GTU Hall on Vrymen's Erven, New Amsterdam. The motion, stating that the Prime Minister had given his consent to the withdrawal of the authority delegated by the Teaching Service Commission to the Assistant Chief Education Officer, Georgetown, and to the Regional Education Officers, asserts that this has resulted in serious difficulties and confusion in the education system. Further, the motion declares that the Teaching Service Commission does not have the institutional capacity to execute these duties efficiently in respect of the total education service, particularly in respect of the schools in the hinterland and deep riverain areas. The delegates conference, therefore, called on the Prime Minister to withdraw the consent he had given. Moreover, it was resolved that "with the restoration of the status quo ante, the various social partners in education, including the Teaching Service Commission, the Ministry of Education and the Guyana Teachers' Union should hold urgent discussions to recommend to the Teaching Service Commission a delegation of powers with such clarity and checks and balances as would ensure the most efficient delivery of education possible in Guyana."