Inspectors and educators continue demonstrating throughout Yemen [Archives:2006/921/Front Page]
By: Adel Al-Haddad
SANA'A, Feb. 14 ) The Yemeni Teachers Syndicate (YTS) and the Teachers and Educational Vocations Syndicate (TEVS) organized enormous public demonstrations in Sana'a and in most major Yemeni cities.
More than 10,000 Yemeni inspectors, teachers and education officials gathered in Tahrir Square, moving to Parliament and then to the Cabinet building. Demonstrators were protesting against 2006 ministerial decrees No. 11 and 12 issued by the Ministry of Education and government false promises. The two decrees order many Yemeni inspectors to begin teaching again and to evaluate others through interviews.
Experienced inspector Abdu Hasen said the decrees force many experienced inspectors to teach again, although they have spent five to 15 years in the inspection field. The decrees don't take into consideration their years of experience nor qualification and training courses taken, conducted by international organizations like UNISO.
Sana'a inspector Amat Al-Gafoor Ali Al-Amari said the ministerial decrees are absolutely false because they are not based on surveys or evaluations. “I shocked when I heard the decisions, having spent so many years in inspection,” she stated.
Angry demonstrators sent protest letters appealing to President Abdullah Ali Saleh, Prime Minister Abdulkhader Bajammal and Minister of Human Rights Amat Al-A'aleem Al-Soswah.
YTS Chairman Ahmed Naser Al-Rabahi cited illegal faults in the two decrees, saying he considers them human rights and legal violations, such as inspectors evaluating based on quantity rather than quality. Also, some inspectors were appointed without mentioning their years of experience and qualifications while experienced inspectors were forced to return to teaching.
Al-Rabahi stated that Minister of Education Abdulsalam Al-Gofi knew about such violations in the decrees and promised to mend them. “What a pity, he did not keep his promises. I hoped Al-Gofi would not put us and him in such a situation,” he added.
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Taiz governorate demonstrations were considered the largest, with more than 30,000 protesting against the government, reminding it of Yemeni teachers' conditions.
Security forces arrested and detained Hadramout YTS Chairman, Akeel Muhammed Al-Attass, more than seven hours during Mukkala demonstrations. More than 5,000 took part in Hadramout governorate demonstrations, including more than 500 women. Al-Attas was arrested Monday, as well as YTS activists Omar Al-Akbari and Mohammed Bawazeer, who tried releasing Al-Attass but were arrested for two hours, according to a press release sent to the Yemen Times. YTS denounced oppressive procedures of Security Director Omar Bamashmoush, who it said violated human rights and laws permitting Yemeni citizens to demonstrate and express their protest peacefully.
More than 1,000 demonstrated in Mahwit governorate after numerous delegations with the Deputy Governor, who threatened to suspend a quarter of the salary of those protesting against the government. Many cities, including Aden and Lahj, saw mass demonstrations by protestors supporting Yemeni teachers' demands.
Approximately 5,000 educators protested in Amran governorate in response to a call by TEVS. During the march, protestors delivered a letter to the Amran Governor, asking him to listen to and meet their demands through the Constitutionally-approved wage hierarchy.
The Amran Education Office general manager and the chief of TEVS noted the names of teachers who joined the demonstration, forced school principals to prevent teachers from protesting and threatened to suspend their salaries.
Outraged educators are not only demanding canceling 2006 ministerial decrees No. 11 and 12, they also request the government keep its promises to improve Yemeni teachers' living standards and give every teacher his or her rights and true position. Teacher Faten Khalefh Rajeb said equitable salary decreases for teachers holding bachelor's degrees and diplomas is not fair. “We want our lawful rights to be given to us, as we are the guardians of generations,” she stated.
Al-Rabahi claimed the Ministry of Education threatened to suspend salaries of YTS members participating in the demonstrations. Moreover, some schools' doors were closed so teachers couldn't demonstrate, he added.
Parliamentary education committee spokesman, Muhammad Najeb, stated during the demonstration that the committee supports the demands of Yemeni teachers, inspectors and educational officials.
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