‘Teachers For Change’ Urge Fellow Teachers To Return To Work

By Yankuba Jallow / Nelson Manneh

‘Teachers for Change’ Task Force Committee have on Saturday 10^th day of February 2018, struck an agreement with the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education concerning their demands. The committee decided to call on all teachers who were on strike, to resume work today, Monday 12^th February 2018.

Many teachers in the entire country began a sit-down strike on Monday the 5^th January 2018, with a lot of demands. The demands of the teachers according to the Task Force Committee included increment in salary, full payment of double shift allowances, teachers’ trainees to be benefit from headship allowances, to put an end to late payment of allowances and issuing of identity cards to teachers like other government institutions.

The strike prompted the Ministry of Basic and Secondary School (MOBSE), to issue a press release that threatened teachers to return in twenty four hours or face action. The Gambia Teachers Union has always turn down efforts by Foroyaa to speak to them.

The Teachers for Change are the teachers on strike within the whole country and have printed T-shirts bearing ‘#Teachers have Change’. They have also formed Whatsapp groups where they disseminate, discuss and share information.

The sit-down strike caused some disruption in the country where some students protested as a means of showing their distress about teachers not attending classes. This led to the arrest of the Principal of Sukuta School sometime last week, by the police.

The meeting between the Teachers for Change Task Force Committee, MOBSE and Gambia Teachers Union (GTU) in the presence of the Minister of Higher Education Research Science and Technology, was held to discuss issues raised by teachers that led to the sit-down strike. The parties in the meeting resolved that the sit-down strike was over and all teachers should return to their posts today, Monday.

The resolution and agreement of the parties was issued in a press release, published on the local print media.

By the press release, the Task Force urges all teachers to resume work today, Monday the 12^th day of February 2018.