The General Secretary of Gambia Teacher Union (GTU), Mr. Baboucarr Jeng, has said that Region One teachers would not be paid the September double shift allowance of 25 days because, as he put it, they did not work for it.

Mr. Jeng was responding to comments made by some teachers in a recent story on the paper captioned "Teachers Express Dissatisfaction with GTU Executive," concerning their double shift and hardship allowance arrears for five months and 25 days. Mr. Jeng claimed that Region One teachers only worked for six days in September and, in view of that, the Department of State for Basic Education (DOSBE) took the decision to pay them said six days only. According to Mr. Jeng, by the time schools reopened last September, head teachers were yet to identify their double shift teachers.

On the issue of FTI hardship arrears, Mr. Jeng said hardship allowance is not part of teachers’ salary but was allocated to those teachers who serve in what he called very hard-to-reach schools from Regions 2-6 of the country.

He also intimated that hardship and double shift allowances have nothing to do with GTU Executive, adding that the two issues are in the hands of DOSBE and the World Bank. He said the first phase of FTI has run out, explaining that The Gambia had done well during the phase.

He pointed out that though the programme has been extended, the funds for the extension were yet to be received from the World Bank. As a result, he explained, teachers in the so-called hard-to-reach schools were asked to continue working until such time as money is made available by the World Bank.

It would be recalled that in February this year, the Deputy Permanent Secretary DOSBE., Mr. Kunkung Jobarteh, told this reporter during an interview concerning double shift allowance arrears, that double shift compensation is only an allowance and not a salary- hence the payment for only the days teachers work for.