Private schools: The ordeal of teachers
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Loading... - Irene Afenynu
- 26 Aug 2022
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Private school teachers brood during the holidays. Without a lump sum bonus, they experience difficult times until classes resume.
Compared to state or community civil servant teachers, most private school teachers, paid below the minimum wage, do not receive a penny from their employers during the holidays.
This period of rest quickly turns into a period of anxiety. “The living conditions during the holidays are really difficult because we are not paid. With my two fridges, I sell juice to meet my needs,” said Fatoumata Cissé, teacher in a private school in the rural town of Mandé.
“I am paid 30,000 FCFA per month. At the undergraduate level here, we work more than 100 hours in the month, not counting the hours of home lesson preparation. To prepare well, a lesson often takes us an hour or even two hours, ”explains a teacher on condition of anonymity.
12 months out of 12
“I know private schools where teachers are paid 12 months out of 12 in addition to social protection, that is to say with INPS and AMO. Certainly, they do not pay in the same way as the State but it is reasonable. For example, we can cite the Cheick Modibo Diarra Complex, the Vivrier de la Sema-Education, etc., “added BK, also a teacher in a private school on site. Some do not hesitate to mention a lack of will on the part of promoters. Fortunately this is not the case for everyone because some promoters provide a little effort during the ''lean period'' by paying their employees half the agreed salary. “Our promoter gives us half of our salary although it is insufficient. I remember even during the crises of the Covid-19,
According to Katio Diarra, a lawyer, the teachers themselves are largely to blame for this situation. He calls on them to demand the application of the Labor Code, in particular the signing of a contract in good and due form. He recognizes that precariousness pushes many job seekers to accept working conditions against their will in the private sector in general and in private schools in particular. "People are scared and that's understanding," he said.
Several school promoters question the level of student monthly fees, which they find very low and cannot cover the needs of schools. “The purchasing power of the citizen is not up to the wish to pay a reasonable sum. However, we have to pay for teaching materials, taxes and duties, water and electricity bills, rent, teachers as well. It is very difficult for us to pay the teachers as they wish. We have no student on behalf of the state, so no subsidy. Here at home for example, the monthly payment ranges from 3000 to 8000 FCFA with a limited workforce and unpaid bills. It's very difficult”, confides a promoter. Read More...
