By Bida Elly David
Some teachers yesterday demonstrated indirect distorting moods against the Ministry of General Education and Instructions following release of only one month’s salary with the complex family needs amid the upcoming festive season saying that they had high expectations.
The Ministry yesterday commenced payment of one month’s salary to teachers with no clear guarantee of granting them with Christmas tokens at least to keep them in festive interval with their families.
Some months ago, the national Ministry of General Education and Instructions promised to clear all accumulated unpaid arrears for both primary and secondary school teachers accompanied by further topping up of their remuneration to a certain level but teachers never noticed the execution of the promise despite the start.
Not only that, the remuneration delays formerly triggered heavy demonstration by the teachers against the ministry resulting to laying down of academic tools that paused lessons delivery.
At the same note, the national ministry of general education and instructions distant themselves against blames poured on them following the demonstration carried by teachers over their salaries.
Minister Awut Deng said that they released the money to state Ministry of education but they were ignorant of the delays.
Group of teachers who went to receive their November salaries told No.1 Citizen Daily Newspaper that the one-month salary was so petty that couldn’t cater for domestic needs since festive season has clocked with complex family demands.
They said that they had high expectation to at least be rendered three Months’ salary to cover some of the gaps that would contribute into family hindrance during the eve of Christmas.
“The ministry does not have any sympathy on teachers in this Country at all. Imagine we are soon breaking off for Christmas and they are paying us only salary for November yet we are expecting three Months’ salary. They may be happy with their families but we always battle to make them satisfied,” they said.
With distorting emotions, the grieved teachers said that their payment system was so petty compared to other sectors where salaries are issued on the first day of every new month with the guarantee of durability.
“We are working to serve the nation that is why we have to wipe away our tears while in hungry stomach. Indeed, we are not happy like other employees in other sectors within the government. Those in the ministries are taking high advantage of us just because we are in the field,” they stated.
In addition, the teachers reiterated number of malpractices happening in the state ministry through mismanagement of financial resources to meet their own demands for getting them who are in the field.
“We are in the field because of our children. If we leave them, then they will have no places to go. Other people enjoy behind us just because they don’t feel the pain, we undertake yet their own children are abroad. We can’t worry; we may go for the festive celebration with the petty cash,” they said.
However, the educationalists underscored need for the government to seriously undertake measures to end the malpractices happening in the ministries for partialities.
Meanwhile efforts to reach the ministry of general education and instructions by No.1 Citizen Daily Newspaper failed after the undersecretary failed to respond to the media appointment.