Gambia’s Education ministry urges teachers to abandon strike

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Banjul, Gambia, February 8 (Infosplusgabon) - The Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education has asked the nation’s striking teachers to abandon their action and return to school.

The ministry, in a statement on Thursday, said the authorities were giving the striking teachers 24 hours to report back to their normal teaching duties or face disciplinary action.

 

Thousands of Gambian teachers on Monday began a sit-down strike over low wages, for the first time in over three decades.

 

The teachers are demanding, among other things, 100 per cent pay increase.

 

Meanwhile, striking teachers have responded to the government's statement by lashing out at the ministry of Education for “not encouraging dialogue but using threats”.

 

The basic salary of a qualified teacher in the country at the primary school level is 2,350 dalasis (about US$50) and Modou Jallow, a spokesperson of the teachers, said this amount was "too small".

 

“We are sitting until the government responds to our demands,” Jallow said, adding that they had about 1,0000 of the country’s 17000 teachers with them.

 

FIN/INFOSPLUSGABON/ILK/GABON 2018

 

 

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