Parliament’s education committee is set to make a landmark statement that would determine the way forward with regard to the suspended public school teachers’ strike.
It follows the submission to the parliamentary committee of the Presidential Taskforce on Covid-19’s determination on the teachers’ risk allowance demands.
Through their union, TUM, the teachers insist they should be regarded as frontline workers who deserve to get risk allowances in view of the pandemic.
Two weeks ago the presidential taskforce was assigned to consider the teachers’ concerns following a relevant stakeholders’ meeting with parliament’s joint committee on education and labour.
On Monday, TUM President Willie Malimba warned that the teachers would resume their strike should the government fail to convey its resolution on the matter by end of business today.
However, Co-chairperson of the Presidential Taskforce Wilfred Chalamira Nkhoma is assuring the teachers that they will soon hear from the joint parliamentary committee.
Efforts by our reporters to get the parliamentary joint committee’s comment proved futile as its chairperson, Blaise Kaisi, was apparently traveling in poor network terrain.