Yaounde: "Teachers" continue Protest despite Government Assurance

Angry secondary school teachers took their protest into the second day today after a showdown at the Ministry of Finance, Monday March 27. The teachers who are demanding salary arrears and other benefits for up to 60 months were at the Ministry of Public Service and Administrative reforms on a peaceful sit Down strike. Peter Tuesday's showdown comes in the wake of the creation of an inter-ministerial Commission to look into their grievances.

During the conclave late Monday, the minister of secondary education, Jean Ernest Massina Bibehe assured the striking teachers that Government will pay all their dues. When Camcord asked one of the protesters why they stormed the Ministry of Public service , he lamented that; "We went to the Ministry of Finance and they instead sent us back to the Ministry of Education. 

We are being pushed back and forth and it's frustrating. All we want is our salary." Another teacher revealed that some of their colleagues have been compelled to stop working due to financial hardship. Most of them can't feed or pay their bills As it stands the protesters have vowed to continue demonstrations till all their demands are met.

  "We are mostly the graduate batches of 2012, 2013 and 2014 from the higher teachers training college in Yaoundé. The government usually integrates us and pays our salaries and other service advantages but this has not been the case since we left school whereas we have been working" says an angry unpaid teacher.

 Some say the government have posted them into the hinterlands with no roads, portable water and electricity and as if that is not enough has kept them hungry.                                                       

 "I have been working in remote areas of the country where working conditions are difficult without salary. How the state does want us to continue with this when we cannot help ourselves talk more of our families financially" complains a grumbling teacher.

 Other demonstrators say this is not the first time the government has been doing this to teachers especially.                        

"We have been teaching for so many years and some taught for 5 years without salaries. This problem we are facing started long ago. Seven years back when we were in school our own teachers will not come to teach for a month saying they have not been paid. Today we still face the same problem" says an angry protester.

Government has appealed for calm while solutions are being looked into the matter: As it stands the protesters have vowed to continue demonstrations till all their demands are met. Government has appealed for calm while solutions are being looked into the matter .