Education Ministry to meet teacher unions amidst strike action

On Monday, September 28, the Ministry of Education will convene with teacher unions to address a dispute centered around unpaid promotion arrears and other unresolved demands. This meeting is taking place amidst a nationwide strike by teacher unions, protesting unpaid promotion arrears and delays in negotiations with the government.

Hasmin Mohammed, the Ministry's press secretary, announced this on Joy FM’s Midday News. He emphasized that the Education Minister would engage with various stakeholders to resolve the dispute and prevent further disruption to the academic calendar. Mohammed stated that the ministry alone cannot resolve the issue, as it requires the involvement of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission and the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department.

He described Monday's meeting as a platform for the unions to directly engage with the relevant institutions. The ministry expressed deep concern over the strike due to its potential impact on the academic calendar. Despite previous efforts, the academic calendar had to be restored multiple times, with students from kindergarten to university returning in September.

Mohammed warned that continued industrial action could undermine this progress, given that students had only recently returned to school. The meeting aims to address the unions' concerns and seek an end to the strike, with the ministry doing everything within its capacity to prevent further disruption to the academic calendar.