In the letter which was read aloud they strongly criticized the fact that they do not receive the proper financial recognition and they also disapproved of the delay in payments. The teachers gave the minister one week to address the issues. If the minister fails to comply, they do not rule taking other steps.

“My salary is just enough to buy fuel. I have been a teacher for more than 20 years but I am with one foot outside the door because of the current situation,” said one of the teachers who became visibly emotional. One of the biggest problems that the teachers mentioned is the structural delay in the payment of overtime. New and parttime teachers are also still waiting for payment of their salary. The teachers explained that the financial pressure keeps growing while the motivation of teachers is plummeting, thereby affecting the professional dignity of teachers. “The quality and the continuation of education is in danger when teachers are forced to look for additional sources of income.” Teachers who have been on the job for 20, 25 and even 30 years also have not received their anniversary allowance. Other teachers who obtained a higher degree are also still waiting for their salary to be raised. The letter was concluded with an important demand. The teachers want to be more involved in the education policy. “We do not only want to execute the decisions that are made. There must be a close collaboration with educators.” Minister Currie acknowledged the delays but urged the teachers to lower their expectations. He explained that when he came into office on August 5th he was confronted with files that date back to 2019. Minister Currie expressed his disapproval over the fact that the teachers visited him during school hours.

“I will not be able to come up with a solution within a week. I will not make promises that I can’t keep,” said Minister Currie who added that a commission has been put together to address the issues and to find out why it takes so long to process the files. Minister Currie asked the teachers to make a list of all of the delays in payment so that things could be sped up. The teachers from IMEAO 3 made it clear that without any real progress, the education process will hit a bump in the road again.