In what feels like a lifetime ago, I first met Cherry Chacko in the classroom, where he was my General Paper tutor. He was a witty, deeply passionate man, who cared a lot for his students, and made sure we understood our lessons well.
He could be brutally honest, insanely funny, and always gave an enjoyable lesson. I had to measure my ‘smart’ comments for want of a tart reply that would put me back in my place.
Our paths crossed again, a decade later, in the Labour Movement arena.
I had the chance to meet Mr Chacko, now 58, recently, when he took over the reins of the Singapore Teachers’ Union as its general secretary. The passion is still there, and this time, I see it as Mr Chacko the unionist – a service that he’s been involved in for nearly 30 years.
NTUC This Week: How can the union help teachers?
Cherry Chacko: I recognise that the union is very necessary to defend teachers’ rights. Industrial relations protects teachers who face unfair or discriminatory practices, but the other issues such as professional development are just as important.
STU had worked with Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say to come up with the idea of academic assistants, teaching assistants and co-curricular programme executives. Now, they’re an accepted part of the teaching force and we have them in the classroom helping teachers or running programmes so that students have more attention and have more care and support in their learning and activities.
These are some of the things that fellow unionists such as STU President Mike Thiruman and former General Secretary Edwin Lye have implemented, so I have very big shoes to fill.
How would you describe your approach to union work?
At most union meetings, I say very little and write down a lot. I try not to openly or loudly disagree, but what I say, I like to have in black and white so no one can misunderstand or misread what is said or done. It has to be a considered approach.
My peers like Mike and Edwin have taught me many times: Don’t say anything in the heat of the moment. Think carefully. What you feel you can defend, what you are sure you can prove, write it down and make sure it is transparent and obvious.
No innuendos, no challenges, no rudeness – these do not pay.
What are some of the challenges you’ve encountered as a unionist?
Some principals do not see the value of having union members. They seem to believe that union members are disruptive and see us as adversaries that they need to protect themselves against.
What they don’t see is that we work very hard to make schools more productive, more proactive and more effective in reaching out to the pupils. That’s our number one target. We want learning and teaching to be a meaningful experience. That is an issue we’ve been fighting to overcome.
How do you juggle the time needed to serve both your students and the union?
It has to be discipline, there is no other way. You have 24 hours in a day so you just have to plan your time accordingly.
How would you encourage new members to join?
Join, and join early. The union provides so much more than they expect.
Our professional development courses and our training are more focused for beginning teachers. Secondly, and I hope we never have to do this, but if a teacher is in trouble, we are the only group that is legally entitled to accompany a teacher to any hearing, court of enquiry or what have you. If a teacher is accused unfairly, most teachers have no recourse. But if they are a union member, and we’re convinced of their rightness, we will do what we can to protect them.
