By Yankuba Jallow/Louise Jobe/Nelson Manneh
Mission School teachers who started a sit down strike last Friday, will resume work today after coming to terms with the relevant authorities.
This agreement was said to have been made on Sunday, 11thMarch 2018 between the Executive of the Network of Catholic Teachers Johnson Mendy, and Father David Jimoh Jarju, the Education Secretary of Mission Schools. The agreement signed between them, included the following: that all teachers should report to their various schools on Monday 12th March 2018; that the August 2017 transport allowance shall be paid gradually with effect from the time he (Jarju) became the Education Secretary and that teachers who need a pay slip, can go to the Catholic Education Secretariat to obtain them. On the issue of transport allowance, Father Jarju said he is visiting the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education to work out the details of the payments and that drawbacks to January 2018, shall be paid; that the signed agreement further indicates that all teachers who were involved in the sit-down strike shall not be victimised but after the agreement, each teacher shall be held accountable for what he or she does or says.
Furthermore, Father Jarju revealed that efforts are being made to resolve the shortfall in the subvention from the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, to the Catholic Education Secretariat; that this is affecting savings at CESCCU and GTUCCU and promised to communicate to teachers by the 9thApril 2018.
The Network of Catholic Teachers was a body set up by teachers in Catholic Schools to serve as the Executive body of the striking teachers. Among the reasons for the strike, the Network lamented the late payment of their salaries and called for the Catholic Education Secretariat to pay them their allowances.
