Education activists back teachers vigil at Capital Hill demanding promotions

Education activists, the Civil Society Coalition on Education has thrown its weight behind a few disgruntled teachers vigil at Capital Hill, the seat of government in Lilongwe, saying promotions were long overdue.

The teachers are today entering fourth day in their vigil aimed at forcing the authorities effect a promotion.

The society executive director Benedicto Kondowe said the teachers have been oppressed for long.

“The teachers are justified to push for their promotion. Some of them upgraded from primary school teachers to secondary school teachers and are teaching in secondary schools but still getting primary school salary,” he said.

A representative of the teachers Dokiso Munthali , who teaches at Mpamba Community Day Secondary School in Nkhata Bay, said the vigil is going on well but complained that ministry of Education officials are ignoring them.

“No one is paying attention to us, they are just shouting and insulting us,” said Munthali.

He however said although the teachers are facing acute shortages of food, they will not give up, saying they only leave the seat of government with letters of promotion.

Ministry spokesperson Lindiwe Chide said the vigil is illegal.

She said the ministry does not promote teachers willy nilly but goes through a process which include interviews with the Teaching Service Commission.

Teachers Union of Malawi (TUM) president Willie Malimba agreed with Kondowe that the issue is long overdue.

However, he accused the teachers for staging a vigil without consulting the union.

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