Algeria: Temporary teachers warn over collective withdraw to spoil Baccalaureate
Temporary teachers in Algeria warned over boycotting teaching on Sunday if the education ministry does not integrate them in their current positions.
- Representative of the National Council of Temporary Teachers Meriem Maarouf told Echorouk the protesters agreed on three decisions they will make by the end of spring holidays. “The teachers will give up our positions, go on hunger strike or commit collective suicide.”
- The teachers’ decision of collective withdraw was announced in a sit-in out of the President’s Office, nine days ago. Two months are left for candidates to take the Baccalaureate exam. A large number out of 20,000 temporary teachers work in baccalaureate classes.
- “If are not eligible to teach, the ministry’s officials are eligible to be trialled”
- The temporary teachers say they were surprise by the ministry’s decision to not integrate them. “If we are eligible to teach, why aren’t we integrated? If are not, why did the ministry let us teaching generations for years? You must be trialled for this crime.”
- “In 2001 and 2002, the government integrated 50,000 temporary teachers. It should be courageous to integrate the 20,000 remaining teachers,” they added.
- They also said the education ministry is doing a makeshift job and does not think of real reforms. “Specialisation is just a pretext to exclusion. If it is a question of specialisation, why isn’t respected in high levels and is imposed on temporary teachers only?”
- The teachers complain of the absence of a legal frame to protect their rights. They say they are not allowed to go on leave for health problems and they do not earn their monthly salaries during holidays.
- Most of the teachers receive their salaries by the end of the school year. They have to teach for supplementary hours without any salary.
- We want a daring decision from the president
- The protesting temporary teachers conveyed a letter to President Bouteflika asking for integration. “We are staging a sit-in out of the President’s Office until we reach our objectives. Otherwise, we would go on hunger strike or commit a collective suicide.”
- “Mr. President, we want you to make a daring decision to bring hope to 20,000 Algerian families,” says the letter.