By Landing Colley
The Gambia Teachers Union (GTU) has urged government and Catholic Education Secretariat (CES) to pay sum of D7million debt to striking teachers
Catholic Education Secretariat has been accused of owing D7million to seven hundred teachers on its pay role.
Speaking at a press conference held on Monday, Deputy Secretary General of GTU Essa Sowe said “both the Government and the Catholic Secretariat must ensure that all money deducted from these teachers amounting to D7million plus must be paid, failure of which the teachers will consider their engagement in the classroom.”
According to him, the teachers have been following this with the GTU which they exhorted all local remedies with regard their pursuit for this debt to be paid as they engaged the level of catholic education secretaries and the level of minister of basic and secondary education.
“We understand that due to some logistical issue some amount at the level of the treasury which was meant to be logged in to CESCO account could not be done due to some administrative issue at the level of the Bank,” he said.
He added on this that all they are now interested-in is to know where the balance is and how soon will that money be paid as failure of paying the money/balance to credit union account is denying the teachers access to quality services that credit union are providing.
“We are not asking for extra ordinary, what we are asking for is our hard-monthly salary which we agreed to be deducted and pay to the credit union to take care of our social-economic services that have been diverted,” he added.
Babucarr O. Joof General Manager of GTU stated “we are not treating any further action we believe that we all work together both the catholic education secretaries and minister of basic and secondary education should find solution to this issue immediately.
Their resolve according to him is that both teachers and GTU are not going back unless and until they know where all the money is.