Jobless teachers to march
UNEMPLOYED teachers in Windhoek are planning a demonstration from the Katutura Resource Centre (KRC) to the Office of the Prime Minister tomorrow.
Fransina Shikomba, one of the organisers during a media briefing yesterday, said unemployed teachers across the country have been trying to have their plight addressed with the line ministry but to no avail.
“We are tired of being ignored and given unsatisfactory answers, that’s why we are organising a national protest on Thursday for the recruitment of teacher graduates,” she said.
Shikomba said they will be joined by the Teachers Union of Namibia (TUN) and the Student Union of Namibia (SUN).
The demonstration is scheduled to start at 08h00 and they plan to hand over a petition to Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila.
Furthermore, Shikomba said, they also want the education ministry to do away with interviews, adding that it is a waste of time and resources as one position normally attracts over
400 applicants.
“Interviews are a waste of money and resources. Implementation of placement and appointments for qualified teachers should take place instead of interviews,” she said.
Also, she said, the ministry should consider giving all junior primary teaching posts which she said are currently occupied by unqualified teachers to unemployed qualified teachers.
“The issue is disturbing as the contracts of those who started in 2015 ended in January but still, they are in the
system even though most of them are far behind academic progress but they are still hanging in there,” she stressed, adding that the ministry should also do away with Life Skills posts requiring working experience.
Similarly, she said, the education ministry should consider reviewing the medium of instruction and change it to English as it restricts unemployed teachers from applying to other regions.
“Due to the medium of instruction, graduates from the Zambezi are only limited to look for work in the Zambezi region,” she said.