By Yankuba Jallow
The Office of the President has written to the ‘Amanah’ teachers on strike, to resume work as processes are on the way to settle them.
In a letter dated May 4th 2018 signed by one Ousman Ceesay on behalf of the Secretary General of the Gambia, Government has acknowledged receipt of a letter from the ‘Amanah’ Teachers for Change dated the April 29th 2018; that the Office of the Secretary General has engaged the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MOBSE) and the Secretariat of the Arabic and Islamic Education (Amanah), regarding the claims of the teachers on strike.
“It has been established that approval of payment of the said allowances (new transport allowances rate and retention), have been granted by the Ministry of Finance and ‘Amanah’ is working on the comprehensive list of its teachers as required by MOBSE, which shall be ready by the end of this week,” the letter stated.
“There will be a meeting between MOBSE, ‘Amanah’ and your group (‘Amanah’ Teachers for Change) and this Office, (Office of the Secretary General), to establish the final agreement on the matter at hand,” the letter disclosed.
In this regard, the Office of the Secretary General urges the ‘Amanah’ teachers to resume duties as they await MoBSE and ‘Amanah’ to complete the process of the payment of their allowances.
Readers can recall that the membership of the ‘Amanah’ Teachers for Change, were among those who contributed to effect the most wanted changed by voting against the former regime, but said change did not happen on their side; that they have right like any teacher in conventional Schools.
They commenced a sit-down strike since the March 24th 2018. They wrote to the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Education listing these demands which according to them, are yet to be regularized.
