Teachers Fume Over Risk Allowances

Following government’s directive that all schools should reopen on Monday, February 22, 2021, Teachers have said they will not report for work unless government listens to their demands.

Teachers Association of Malawi (TUM) confirmed with the members of the press that its members will not report for work despite that government has given them a go ahead to do so.

According to TUM president Willy Malimba, the decision to boycott from work has been made since government is not clear on risk allowances that teachers are demanding.

Malimba further said that government has also failed to fulfill some of the requirements for the opening of schools, citing drilling boreholes and erecting temporary classes to decongest classrooms.

If their concerns are not adhered to, the teachers have threatened to hold national wide demonstrations.

Secretary General for the grouping Azizi Losa said that they also want government to recruit additional secondary school teachers in order to decongest classrooms.

Minister of Education Agnes NyaLonje disclosed on Wednesday that the Ministry will put in place a number of preventive measures to ensure that both students and teachers are protected.

On Wednesday this week government through the Presidential Taskforce announced that all schools should reopen after five weeks of closure as the country is experiencing the second wave of the global virus.

Minister of Health Khumbize Chiponda Kandodo, has since said that government is working hard to ensure that the spread of the virus is contained in schools.

Meanwhile, Malawi has more Covid-19 recoveries than active cases which is giving hope that the country might be winning the fight against the virus of which some are saying that it is because there is a drop in covid-19 tests.