The Students of Tallinding Upper Basic School yesterday boycotted classroom lessons, amidst problem between staff teachers and the principal over transfer issues.
This followed last month teachers for change nationwide sit-down strike, who were demanding for pay rise and better allowances.
In the early hours of Monday at the Tallinding Upper Basic, students could be seen with placards with inscription ‘we need back our teachers’, as they demand back their teachers immediately.
When met at his office, Mr Demba Keita, principal of the school said: “I have nothing to say again. Look at this letters. These teachers are posted to different regions, and now they are instigating the students to go on strike.”
But in contrary, a student explained that their strike came as a result of the principal said some teachers were posted to various regions but that when those teachers went to see him at his office, the principal call the Police for those teachers.
“Last week GRTS came to our school and a colleague of mine told that the principal said when they ask us anything, lets tell them that we are learning. But I replied to my colleague that I will not tell them that, because I can’t lie. I am here for learning and I can’t lie,” the student said.
Meanwhile, teachers could be seen sitting in the school campus when students boycotted the lessons.
Also according to the teachers involved, they are willing to get into the classrooms and teach, but that Mr Keita, the principal of the school should leave them in peace.
For his part, the spokesperson of Tallinding teachers said: “They told us that we were not having time table at the school even though we were issued previously. We have been here for two weeks, and then we felt that we cannot be coming here and signing every day when we don’t know what we should do. By virtue of being teachers, we are employees of the Gambia government. In addition to that we felt we cannot just collect salaries and be seated.”
He added that on the 15 of this month, they went to the office of the principal to ask him of their fate “So when that happened, he [the principal] went out to call the police as if we are criminals.”
Author: Adama Makasuba