ARABIC/ENGLISH TEACHERS ON STRIKE CLAIM FOR THEIR RIGHTS TO BE RESPECTED

The teachers of The General Secretariat of Arabic and Islamic Teachers- (Amanah) has on Sunday held a mega consultative meeting to discuss on their way forward and demanded their rights from their authorities.

The membership of the Amanah Teachers for Change composed of over 300 teachers ranging from Region 1 in KMC and BCC to Region 6 in Basse. The group includes Principals, Vice Principals and teachers as well as other staffs and they are Arabic-English Teachers. The group was founded on the 10^th March 2018 and serve as the body for the union of Amanah teachers.

They said they were among those who contributed to effect the most wanted changed by voting against the former president but held that the changes on their side is yet to happen. They said they have the right as any other teacher in conventional schools and that they want to see an all-inclusive changes.

The Teachers for Change has an Executive Committee who are mandated by the teachers to fight on their course in order to effect changes in their welfare. According to the Executive, they have been engaging the government and all relevant stakeholders on their concerns but the situation is at a standstill.

According to the teachers, they are claiming for what rightfully belongs to them and that they are not here to create havoc in the society.

They commenced a sit-down strike since the 24^th day of March, 2018, with certain demands which they said should be put in place. On the 11^th March, 2018, they wrote to the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Education with six demands which according to them are yet to be regularized. They asked the Permanent Secretary the question why they get their payment late and also why the D1000 (one thousand dalasis) allowances did not reflect on their pays slip. Also they asked the Permanent Secretary why qualified teachers under Amanah are not paid equally as those in the conventional schools as well asked him why the Social Security payment are not paid. Further, they asked the Permanent Secretary why they are not paid salary that qualified teachers are paid in their first year of graduation and others.

On the warning letter they received from Amanah threatening to block their salaries, they said it does not move them rather it has embolden them to remain steadfast in order to continue to fight for their rights. They said the Amanah Teachers for Change was formed to effect changes in order to fight for the authorities to look into the affairs of the Arabic-English Teachers in general.

They said they wrote to Gambia Teachers Union, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education and Amanah letters as well as the National Assembly and subsequently sent them another letters reminding them of the initial letter but all their efforts proved fruitless.

According to them, on the 29^th March, 2018, they went to GRTS to raise their concern to the public where they were videoed but they have never been featured since then.

According to them, they are Gambians who are entitled to their rights and that no amount of frustration by Amanah or any other form of intimidation by any person or authority will make them surrender.

“We are fighting for our rights lawfully and we are not afraid of the outcome. We raised our concerns and we expect them to be looked into. We are ready to cooperate with anybody to see our problems are solved amicably” they said.

On the issue of blockage of their salary, they said they received information from some teachers who are currently on the strike that their salary for the month of April, 2018, has been blocked by Amanah and that over 40 staffs salaries were blocked recently. They said Omar Jammeh, the Director of Education Amanah told them that his office has received the letter from the Teachers for Change but did not consider it with the reason that the 48 hour limit has no sign of respect by the movement.

One of the members of the Change said the Human Resource Manager for Amanah, Omar Ceesay threatened him over a telephone conversation that if he does not return to school, he will join his name to those whose salaries are currently been blocked.

They also disclosed that they have written to the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate on the whole issue and that the Office promised to get back to them in fourteen (14) days.