Schools paralysed

Primary school pupils camp outside the education office at the Temeke Municipal Council in Dar es Salaam to press for teachers’ return to duty. PHOTO/VENANCE NESTORY By The Citizen Team Dateline. Learning was paralysed in most of public schools yesterday as about 90 percent of teachers staged a countrywide strike to demand a pay rise. Not even processions by their students would soften the hearts of the angry teachers. But the government was just as steadfast in its resolve, warning the teachers that action would be taken against those who took part in the outlawed strike.  The Minister for Education and Vocational Training, Dr Shukuru Kawambwa, told a hastily convened press conference in his Dar es Salaam office that the government will withhold the salaries of all teachers who take part in the boycott. Leaders of the Tanzania Teachers Union (TTU) moved fast to calm their members, advising them that no one will be penalised for not going to work because their strike met all the legal requirements. The TTU secretary, Mr Ezekiah Oluoch, told a radio station yesterday evening they have tried to discuss their demands with the powers-that-be for a long time but the government officials have been elusive. Reports countrywide indicated that most headteachers reported for work. In Morogoro, the deputy minister for Education carried out a door to door inspection of schools and discovered first hand at Morogoro secondary school that 45 teachers had stayed at home. But some public secondary school teachers went to work, especially in Dar es Salaam. It was business as usual at Kisutu Girls Secondary school, Zanaki and Azania as a substantial number of teachers reported for work. “We have so far been taught two subjects as shown on our timetable,” said Leah Njama, a second form student at Kisutu. “Our teachers have come to work and they are teaching as usual.” Another Kisutu student, Victoria Njaka, told journalists: “I have heard about teachers going on strike from today, but I haven’t seen such action here at our school.” In Rufiji District, 831 out of 1,129 teachers affiliated to TTU stayed at home.  The TTU chairman in the district, Mr Mohamedi Mbagalo, said that they support the strike because the TTU’s demands are genuine. The teachers are asking for a 100 per cent salary rise and 50 per cent of their salaries as allowances for arts teachers and 55 percent for science teachers. They also want a hardship allowance of 30 per cent of their pay. Rufiji District has a total of 1,342 teachers but 69 of them are not TTU members. In Dodoma, Regional Commissioner Rehema Nchimbi urged teachers to carry on with their work and declared that the TTU strike was illegal. Teachers have no basis to strike, Dr Nchimbi said, because their demands are the subject of a pending court case. But the president of TTU, Mr Gratian Mukoba, said all legal requirements had been met and the strike was legal. The Commission for Mediation and Arbitration failed to resolve the case and issued them with a certificate to that effect, he added, upon which they gave 48 hours’ notice as required by law. “We have observed section 80(1) and other subsections in calling this strike.... we have no court order which outlaws our strike...therefore, saying the strike is illegal is baseless,” he said. Mr Mukoba dismissed the government’s argument that it does not have enough money to meet the teachers’ demands. The country had enough money and the only shortcoming was setting its priorities right, he said. Besides, he argued, the government has been able to raise money for other agendas and appears to discover it is broke only when teachers demand their rights.   Still, he said TTU was open for negotiations on how the stalemate could be resolved. “We believe that the government can meet our demands if it sets its priorities right because it has enough money,” he added. The Trade Union Congress of Tanzania (Tucta) secretary general, Mr Nicholaus Mgaya, yesterday declared support for the striking teachers and said their demands were valid. “The government should stop the habit of running to the court when workers demand their rights,” he added. “It should work at solving the problems.” Reported by Bernard Lugongo (Dar), Amini Yasini (Rufiji) and  Masoud Masasi, Faridah Msabah (Dodoma).