Teachers Demonstration in Taiz [Archives:1999/38/Local News]

The teacher law, approved by the Parliament two years ago, made an extreme echo among teachers in Taiz. This law gives some privileges to teachers, and promises them to increase their salaries. Moreover, it asserts the teachers’ rights to live in better conditions.
It is worth mentioning that, teachers have been struggling hard to make the parliament verify it. So far this law has not seen light till the coming of the Presidential Elections. Then, it is taken as an electoral campaign by the Controlling Party and the the Islah party, because most of the teacher are enrolled in the ‘Islah’.
During the electoral festivals, teachers and workers in the educational sector were forced to attend the festivals. They were promised that their system would be implemented before the Presidential Elections. The teachers were always waiting for the “new comer” who will change their miserable life into a luxurious one. Indeed, salaries and allowances were given to teachers in Sana’a and the Capital Secretariat. Teachers in Taiz waited for a long period of time for committees and salaries arrival in their city. Some of them kept waiting for any good news on Somarah mountain in order to spread it among their colleges in the city of “thirst”. At last, salaries arrived in Taiz. Teachers were extremely happy, but unfortunately, their happiness did not last long. More than 8000 teachers’ names were not enrolled in the exchange lists.
Therefore, teachers in Taiz made a demonstration last Monday, September 12. The demonstrators reached the Governorate Office and the Education Office. They all appealed for justice and equal treatment of teachers. They still threaten to go on demonstrating and striking if the Ministry of Education refuses to settle down their problem.
By: Farouq Al-Kamali,
Taiz
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