President Paul Biya’s panoply of measures to end the teachers’ strike should begin thawing the ice, many observers have said.
The strike organised under a movement named OTS has kept students in public schools without classes for over three weeks. The instructions from the Head of State were transmitted by the Secretary General at the Presidency Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh to the Secretary General at the Prime Minister’s Office, Seraphin Magloire Fouda on March 9, through a note, a copy of which L’Action has seen. President Biya asked government to ensure teachers get full monthly salaries as from this March after being paid only two third before now. Apart from this, the Head of State asked the Minister of Finance to cough out over CFA 17 billion and pay out all arrears and debts owed teachers. Many teachers and education stakeholders see the measures as a showcase of good faith of the government and huge sacrifice by Cameroonian authorities, because the economy is struggling to recover from the shock of the Covid-19 pandemic. Government has also promised to raise the base salaries of Category A2 teachers to FCFA 280,000 and Category A1 to FCFA 250,000. On top of this there is an increase in housing allowances allocated to teachers. The teachers will also get research premiums and proficiency bonuses. Teachers working in remote parts of Cameroon will collect bigger transport allowances and risk premiums. The government has sprinkled electricity and water premiums on the offer.
Bent on satisfying the teachers, the Head of State has asked for the revision, improvement and harmonisation of the special status of teachers. Henceforth, advancements will be automatic while student teachers being trained for the state will receive allowances and will be enrolled into the public service payroll upon completion of their courses without delay. With these measures taken by President Paul Biya, many foresee the end of the teachers’ strike.
Working out the maths
Teachers want to go to the banks and see the measures of the President reflect on their take-home pay of the month. The Ministry of Finance is working to make this happen. “We have to understand that the Ministry of Finance has a fixed budget which can be regulated. When there is an important decision taken with financial bearings, the Ministry of Finance regulates,” the minister Louis Paul Motaze explained last Thursday at a joint press conference of government ministries proffering solutions to the grievances of the teachers. MINFI will have to clear off housing allowances of some 5,989 teachers and pay off salary arrears of about 17 billion FCFA through out this year to some 20, 449 teachers who received only two third of their salary.
Jude VIBAN
