Teachers across the country have recently expressed dismay at the alleged failure of the executive committee of The Gambia Teachers Union (GTU) to address their affairs in the 2006/7 academic year.

Speaking to The Point, a cross section of teachers from all the six Regions expressed the view that the GTU executive should be a strong and viable union that could fight the rights of its members without ill will. According to the teachers, the teaching fraternity is well placed to offer support to GTU and D.O.S.E. in all their deliberations, adding that both institutions must work together in identifying the needs and concerns that affect them directly. They opine that if teachers and GTU work together, DOSE would never fail in their activities. They outlined some of their major problems, which occurred this academic year and are still yet to be resolved by DOSE. This, they claimed, includes the unpaid September double shift allowance of 25 days for Region 1 teachers, and five months hardship allowance for regions 2-6 teachers.

When contacted on the matter, GTU president, Omar Ndure, said he was not the right person to talk on the matter. He however pointed out that if anything of that nature is pending, GTU was not aware of it. He said that the disaffected teachers should have channelled their grievance through the GTU secretariat, in stead of going to press, adding that the press could not solve their problems. He then referred this reporter to Essa Sowe at the GTU Secretariat. Mr Sowe, for his part, said it was the General Secretary of GTU who could give correct information on the matter but wondered why the teachers would not contact their regional secretaries before spending money on fares to press houses.

Mr. Sowe said that GTU is not aware of any arrears owed to teachers, and called on them to always contact them on telephone rather than going to press.