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Momodou
Denmark
11832 Posts |
 Posted - 25 Apr 2008 : 18:28:39
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Teachers Request Lands From Government
By Amie Sanneh
The General Manager of The Gambia Teachers Union Cooperative Credit Union (GTUCCU), Baboucarr O. Joof, is of the opinion that the Gambia Government should give them the opportunity to give teachers homes when they are on the verge of retiring from the civil service. This, Mr. Joof said, will no doubt impact on teacher attraction and retention but would as well positively boost their output. “No true teacher aspires to leave for greener pastures (although the artificial ones do not wait long) they reluctantly leave for fear of no good future,” he noted. Mr. Joof added that the GTUCCU will be in a position to provide utility services and landscape the areas to ease all problems associated with shelter for teachers once and for all.
Mr. Joof, who was speaking yesterday at the opening of the GTUCCU Credit Union meeting, otherwise called “Teacher House”, said with the availability of homes for teachers, it will give the teachers an opportunity to live decent lives after retirement. “In our bid to address this unfortunate phenomenon, we have written to the SoS for Local Government asking for plots of land across the country to serve as Teacher Villages,” said Mr. Joof.
GTUCCU General Manager remarked that most teachers continue to face retirement in destitution, due to lack of decent home, after decades of service to The Gambia.
Also speaking at the inauguration ceremony, the President of The Gambia Teachers, Union Omar Ndure, also stressed the need for government to help them retain teachers in the field. “We would also appreciate it if teachers are allocated land in the various regions, where they could erect teacher villages,” he posited.
Also on the issue of retaining teachers, GTU President stressed the need for a Teaching Service Commission. This Mr. Ndure said will exclusively take charge of teacher recruitment and conditions of service.
Responding to the demands made by the GTUCCU Members, the Secretary of State for Basic and Secondary Education, Fatou Lamin Faye, said on the issue of housing, they are working hard on that and that very soon they will be able to deliver plots of land to them. She explained that issuing plots of land would have been easy if it were under her purview. On the Teaching Service Commission, SoS Faye added that the GTU president and others are working on it and they will put it on the fast link for it to happen.
Source: Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issues
Issue No. 48/2008, 25 – 27 April 2008
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