The District Education
Service in Lago District, Niassa province in north of Mozambique, was taken by
surprise on Wednesday, January 22, by a large gathering of primary school teachers
in front of its premises.
The reason for the
demonstration was the demand for the payment of the half-day subsidy for the
second cohort of the last two years (2023 and 2024).
The teachers expressed their
indignation and confusion over the fact that the government paid overtime subsidies
to secondary school teachers but had not done the same for primary school
educators, who have been requesting the same compensation since 2023.
“We are here gathered to
claim our right, which is the payment of the half-day subsidy for 2023 and 2024.
Secondary school teachers have already received it, but what about us?”
questioned Savimbi Miguel, spokesperson for the group of teachers.
The protesters further
emphasized that despite the pressure, they had not received clear answers. On
Wednesday morning, the head of the District Education Service was absent, and
his substitute was unable to provide any satisfactory explanation about the
matter.
As a result, the primary
school teachers announced that they would return to the location next week to
try to engage in direct dialogue with the institution's leadership. Otherwise,
they threaten to suspend their activities, including the second cohort.
“If the situation is not urgently resolved, we cannot guarantee the continuity of our classes in the second cohort. We are talking about a legitimate right that needs to be respected,” added Savimbi Miguel.
The tension between primary
school teachers and the District Education Service in Lago continues to grow,
with educators promising to mobilize even more colleagues for future
demonstrations if their demands are not quickly addressed. (Davide Muianga)
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