– By Diana Abraham

Diana Abraham is a member of the Guyanese diaspora with publications in fields relating to transnational migration, identity and belonging

An earlier diaspora column by Deborah Hamilton (January 24th) prompted me to reflect on the similarities between her teaching experiences and those of the teachers who participated in doctoral research I undertook in Guyana eight years ago. My investigation was designed to identify the social and economic circumstances contributing to the migration of qualified teachers, both out of the country and inter-sectorally from public to private schools, and the impact of this loss on the public education system in Guyana.

Research included 22 teachers, 2 Head Teachers, 2 Chairs of the Boards of Governors of Sixth Form secondary schools; 2 Directors of a private school, 2 civil society participants, one former minister of education (2001–2006) and the then chief planning officer of Guyana’s ministry of education (attempts to interview the Chief Education Officer and the Secretary of the Guyana Teachers Union were futile).    Continue reading →