By Umaru Fofana
Lecturers at polytechnics and teacher training colleges throughout Sierra Leone yesterday started an indefinite stay-at-home strike over pay and conditions, disrupting classes for thousands of students in Freetown, Makeni, Kenema and Port Loko. However, following a meeting with education minister Dr Minkailu Bah, the striking lecturers agreed to suspend their action amid assurances by government to meet their demand.
President of the striking lecturers, Raymond Musa of the eastern Polytechnic told Politico that a 50% pay rise promised them to come into effect in January 2015 had still not been paid. He said they had initially asked for a 500% increment taking into account the inflation rate and the concomitant effect on the prices of commodities.
However, he went on: “the conference of principals prevailed on us in 2014 to settle for a 50% increase which we agreed to”.
Musa said that despite “our show of understanding to climb down, 14 months on government has still not reflected the increase”, adding that education minister had not even bothered to meet them before yesterday.
He was speaking to Politico as he and his colleague executive members were waiting for a meeting with the minister.
The President of the Freetown Teachers’ College Senior Staff Association later referred to the meeting with Dr Bah as “successful”.
“We were able to make a breakthrough with the minister,” Mohamed Shaw told Politico.
He said the minister pleaded with them to give him two weeks to have the matter sorted hence, he said, they had suspended their action and would engage their colleagues across the country to return to class.
Shaw however warned thus: “if nothing happens after two weeks we will resume our strike action”.
Some students at the Milton Margai College of Education and Port Loko Teachers’ College said they only leaned about the strike once they reported for classes yesterday. And they expressed relief that the matter had been resolved not least because they had pending first semester examination in March.
The education minister would not answer our calls for further clarification.
(C) Politico 23/02/16
