The government’s reaction came amid announcement by GTU that it will embark on a sit-down strike effective Monday, December 2, 2024, due to the non-payment of November salaries for the SSS Board Schools and the School Improvement Grant (SIG) for Mission Schools by the government.
“The Gambia Teachers’ Union calls on all teachers in Grant-Aided Schools to put their tools down beginning Monday, 2 December 2024 until further notice. The strike action is necessitated by the non-payment of November Salaries for the SSS Board Schools and the SIG for Mission Schools by the Government. Despite the Union’s repeated efforts to address this issue through dialogue and negotiation, the Government failed to honor its commitment, causing significant distress and financial hardship to members of the Union and the affected schools,” GTU said.
Responding to this, the Finance Ministry stated: “We acknowledge the important role of our teachers and the importance of timely disbursement of funds to ensure the smooth functioning of our education system. The Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs wishes to address the concerns raised by the Teachers' Union regarding the non-payment of November salaries for Senior Secondary School (SSS) Board Schools and the School Improvement Grant (SIG) for mission schools, which has led to a proposed strike scheduled for Monday, December 2. 2024.
We wish to assure the Union and the general public that all payments were processed on Friday, November 29, 2024 in line with the planned payment plan. The Ministry remains committed to fulfilling its obligations to support the education sector and ensure uninterrupted learning for students across the country.
The Ministry remains committed to fostering collaboration with all stakeholders to address challenges and ensure continuous support for the education sector.”
