By Mabinty M Kamara
Aggrieved lecturers of polytechnic schools and colleges have suspended their strike action, after about a month of standoff with the Ministry of Education.
Five colleges and polytechnics – the Milton Margai College of Education and Technology, the Freetown Teachers College (FTC), the Eastern Polytechnic, Port Loko Teachers College, and the Northern Polytechnic – embarked on the industrial action after disagreement with the government over their condition of service and salary payment.
The strike affected thousands of students from these institutions who were preparing their final year examination.
Mohamed Shaw, Vice President of the Association of Lecturers of Polytechnic and Colleges, who doubles as president of the Freetown Teachers College Senior Staff Association, told Politico that they’d decided to suspend their strike action because the government had gone a long way in addressing some of their demands.
“The government has gone a long way in addressing some of our demands, but the problem is now between us and our institutions, especially with the Northern Polytechnic where they have problems of miscalculation of salaries,” he said, adding: “our conditions of service are yet to be fully implemented but we are going to conduct examinations and give them their grades and then look up to the government for the remaining parts of the agreement.”
© Politico 20/07/16
