CIDED Warns Demos In solidarity With Teachers

The Center for Economic Development Initiative (CDEDI) has threatened that it will mobilize teachers and Malawians of goodwill into the streets if the concerns raised by teachers are not heard by Wednesday March 10, 2021.

CDEDI Executive Director Sylvester Namiwa said this in a statement seen by a reporter of this publication.

“Should the current standoff between the teachers and the government remain unresolved by Wednesday, March 10, 2021, CDEDI will be forced to lead Malawians of goodwill, whose children’s basic right to education is being violated, and all Malawians that are sympathizing with our children who go to public schools, to come out in their large numbers and join the nationwide protests, in solidarity with the teachers,” Namiwa said.

According to Namiwa it is the responsibility of every Malawian to join hands and fight for the dignity and welfare of the teaching profession which he said has been despised for decades.

He further added that the current standoff between teachers and government should not be regarded as teachers’ affair only but rather a war between government and its citizen “especially those that cannot afford to send their children and wards to private schools within the country or abroad.”

Namiwa stressed that the position of CDEDI on the ongoing sit-in by teachers is that teachers deserve to be listened to and their concerns must be addressed since teaching was classified by the Presidential task Force on the Covid-29 pandemic in July 2020 as a profession that is at risk.

“It is surprising, therefore, to note that government has put its foot down, and has sworn never to give the teachers the risk allowances, and yet the same government is currently busy splashing out money to some individuals, in the name of Covid-19 cushion measures,” Namiwa said.

Teachers have been on strike for three weeks now since the schools reopen as they are demanding for risk allowance of which government has said the teachers demand are pointless and stressing that they will not give teachers risk allowance.

Teachers Union of Malawi (TUM) has also stressed that they will not report for work unless their concerns are addressed saying that they need a minimum of K35, 000 allowance per month.