By: Nyima Sillah
Teachers in public schools have started a nationwide strike over their unpaid covid-19 allowance, their strike commenced days after Gambia Teachers Union asked teachers in public schools to stay away from classes until their demands are paid.
“After a thorough review of the progress so far gained by close of business on Friday 11th February 2022, the Union found that teachers in region 3 have still not been paid. Also, a good number of teachers in region 1, including all the Senior Secondary School involved and Region 2 are still left out,” Marie Antoinette Corr, General Secretary of Gambia Teachers Union said in the advisory.
She added: “In view of the aforementioned the National Executive Committee held another emergency executive meeting on Saturday 12th February 2022 and passed a resolution that: Teachers in all schools across the country should put their tools down until advise otherwise.”
“We are on the ground but learning is not taking place we need something, the system is paralyzed in all angles. They have eaten the monies allocated for all the teachers some heads paid their puppets who normally fed them information’s and leaved the rest during Covid-19 period,” an anonymous source told The Voice exclusively.
Source revealed that they normally received ten thousand (D10,000) but some were underpaid and others were marginalized. Also, each teacher should have been given D10,000 which never happened and authorities have been kept quiet about the issue. As of now they cannot tell when this strike will end because they are not going to teach unless the authorities pay their money. Adding that the money belongs to them but the fact is that Gambian teachers are puppets.
Aminata Sallah said they have not been learning since last week and this will have a huge negative impact on their second term examination which is fast approaching, adding that she has been going to school but teachers don’t teach them and others don’t even come to school.
