Teachers? day is an opportunity for all members of the profession to think about the profession, the pupils and education as well as their new roles in society. Teachers are builders of society and they are the people who mould future generations. Teachers? day should be an opportunity for all of us to remind ourselves about our responsibilities and it may also constitute an occasion for rethinking our role.

It is a fact that teachers belong to that category of workers whose organizations are very active for the defense and promotion of their rights and interests. In fact, there is no exaggeration in stating that their organizations are trend setters and this can be well illustrated by reference to events which have taken place in many countries as well as in our own.

Teachers in our country have all the time contributed to the formulation of educational policies .It sounds odd that the government of the day has not paid much heed to the opinion of teachers about the reform it is implementing these days, especially the A+ formula and this is a matter which leaves all those concerned with education more or less perplexed. It appears that certain educational policies are proposed mainly to suit political objectives rather than for other reasons and this baffles teachers as well as educationists and pedagogues.

It is a fact that primary school teachers have after almost thirty years of hard struggle come a long way in the same struggle for alignment of their salaries and conditions of work to those of their secondary counterparts. As a matter of fact the next PRB report should consolidate what they have acquired so far and bring further improvements. The struggle must go on though it appears that recently those who are responsible for putting in

the necessary efforts have demonstrated more and more the tendency to toe the line of the employer rather than heeding the opinion of their rank and file.

For decades the GTU has been the dominating force in the trade union movement in our country not only on issues concerning the primary sector but also those dealing with all civil servants and workers and in this connection we can quote time-off, payment of allowance, IRA etc. Teachers and their organizations have the potential to provide the leadership on various matters and it is our responsibility to maintain this trend.

Teachers have made significant contributions in fighting the ills of society and in giving new hope to people. Let us once more be inspired by the lofty principles that have always guided our profession so that it regains the respect that it has always enjoyed in the eyes of one and all.

Jugdish LOLLBEEHARRY Ralliement des Démocrates