By Precious D. Freeman
The Monrovia Consolidated School System Teacher’s Association (MCSSTA) has announced their frustration and is saddened over the acts of the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Civil Service Agency including the National Social Security and Welfare Corporation to deduct their salary illegally.
In a press conference held yesterday at the C.D.B. King Elementary School on Warren Street, the president of the MCSSTA, Augustin N. Nyormui, explained that the deduction came about as a result of the prevailing Central Bank rate instead of a stable budget rate passed by the National Legislature and approved by the President.
Mr. Nyormui said contrary to the huge promises made by this government, they were dismissed and accused the regime of seriously combating against teachers’ survival and undermining the growth and development of the educational sector due to its failure to make allotments available to authorities of the MCSS to purchase instructional and janitorial materials to effectively run the school system in order to give the kids or students a better academic future.
“Henceforth, we are requesting the National Legislature to reinforce the March 16 order requesting the Executive branch of Government headed by President George M. Weah through these Agencies and the Ministry mentioned to unconditionally reinstate and pay retroactively those illegally dismissed teachers since it was done without any prior notice, instead of hiding behind mere pension without giving them their just benefits or retirement packages for their sacrificial services to the state which resulted to many deaths due to psychological effects for illegally pensioning them since August 2020,” he disclosed.
He however stated that despite the many challenges facing their teachers within the school system (MCSS) including all other public schools, they want to appeal to all of their teachers to embrace the ongoing head count by the government of Liberia to remove ghost names from public payrolls but not to submit anything called police clearance or health certificate, which is a complete witch-hunt against their teachers as they had been in the employ of government for many years without being wanted by authorities or the law.
According to him, whosoever is requesting for police clearance including health certificate should immediately halt this unnecessary demand from poor teachers whose monthly salaries are being deducted regularly by unknown state actors to avoid serious tension across the country.
Mr. Nyormui added that anyone who is threatening their wellbeing with their families should desist immediately, or else, that person’s stay in office will also be threatened through the democratic process in2023.
Meanwhile, he is appealing to all their teachers, janitors and securities including administrators to continue reporting to work, and abide by the Teachers’ Code of Conduct as they are preparing for a mass meeting in April of this year to act appropriately and end this ridiculous behavior by those involved in humiliating poor teachers across Liberia.
At the same time, he is calling on the National Legislature headed by Bhofal Chambers to allot more resources that will adjust qualified teachers’ salaries after obtaining degrees since three years from various universities or colleges; as well as support all public schools across the country.
“It is also necessary that they amend the Education Reform Act of 2011 to include all public high schools in the free and compulsory grade school education as it is done in many African countries around Liberia, in order to encourage high enrollment and completely abort the payment of PTA fees due to high cost of living as a result of unemployment rate while many students are self-supported,” he presumed.