Guidance officers wait for travel allowance since January

Over 200 guidance officers have not been paid their travelling/upkeep expenses since the beginning of 2018.

This makes it nine months, and the
officers are finding it difficult to do their duty in counselling troubled children.

One officer, who spoke with Newsday on condition of anonymity yesterday, said it was difficult to treat with students’ problems when they could not deal with their own issues.

The officer said guidance
counsellors were on contract, while guidance
officers were permanently employed. The officer said guidance officers were entitled to $2,400 a month, which was not included in their salaries.

“We have not been paid from January this year until present. The (Education) Ministry continues to say they have other things they have to deal with and that our concerns were not a priority.

“This is a priority for us. I have spoken to the accountant who took a decision where she does not want any guidance officers to call accounts to find out about their own business. The officer said this was is wrong.

“The minister is saying that students should go to guidance officers with their problems, but we are not being paid for our upkeep. “I am speaking for myself but I don’t want to be victimised. It is difficult to have to come to school to work and you have to wonder where you are getting money. It is difficult because we are not being paid in a timely fashion. Before, it was three or four months would pass, and then we would be paid. But we are going into the tenth month, the financial year is going to be closed, and we have not received any payment since the beginning of the year,” the officer said.