By Arret Jatta
The teachers who marched on to the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE) in Banjul yesterday over delayed promotions and unpaid salaries have suspended further protest action following assurances from ministry officials that their grievances will be addressed by the end of June.
The protest, which drew dozens of teachers to the ministry’s headquarters in Banjul, was organised by affected in-service teachers who said they have endured months of delays despite repeated promises from authorities.
According to the teachers, only 91 out of 511 in-service teachers, comprising graduates of English and Islamic Studies programmes from the University of Education, The Gambia, have benefited from the promised change in grade points and professional status. The remaining teachers claim they are yet to receive grade adjustments, status updates, and eight months of salary payments allegedly owed to them.
Many of the affected teachers also reported difficulties obtaining their attestation and academic transcripts from The Gambia College.
The teachers said they were redeployed at the beginning of the 2025/2026 academic year after completing advanced diploma programmes. They argued that despite fulfilling all requirements, the benefits attached to their upgraded qualifications have not been implemented.
They also accused the ministry of repeatedly requesting lists of affected individuals without taking concrete action to resolve their concerns.
However, tensions eased following a meeting between representatives of the teachers and the Permanent Secretary at MoBSE, Louis Moses Mendy.
According to the teachers, the ministry agreed to address all outstanding issues by the end of June.
Following the meeting, the teachers reached a consensus to suspend further demonstrations while awaiting the ministry’s promised action.
