Maturity prevailed - SPYL Youth League applauds education stakeholders The ruling party’s youth wing has praised the parties involved in renegotiating salary increases for teachers to end a two-day strike. KENYA KAMBOWEThe Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) yesterday released a statement applauding the government and the teachers’ unions for breaking the deadlock in salary negotiations.
On Saturday, the government, the Namibia National Teachers Union (Nantu) and Namibia Public Workers Union (Napwu) reached an agreement that ended last week’s two-day strike which affected grade 10 and 12 national examinations and halted school operations.
Under the agreement teachers will receive a 9% salary increase next year. For the remainder of this year, salary adjustments for teachers in salary grades 15 to 13 will remain at 10% and for grades 12 to 5 it will remain at 5%. For grades 4 to 1A, it remains at 4%.
The increase will be backdated to April 2016.
The 9% increase for next year will not only be for teachers but for all government employees.
“We are informed that the agreement was reached after President Hage Geingob intervened. The agreement was also made possible due to the maturity displayed by all stakeholders involved to ensure that the Namibian child is offered an opportunity to go back to school,” said the statement issued by SPYL spokesperson Neville Itope.
“We are well aware of the president’s effective and powerful negotiation skills ever since the liberation struggle, and when he chaired the Constituent Assembly in 1989,” the statement further read.
SPYL said the future of the Namibian child depends on end-of-the-year examinations and that education is a key element in the development of the country.
The youth wing also urged all stakeholders in the education sector to forgive one another and continue working together in achieving the country’s national goals.
“Let us have the interest of the Namibian child as a priority, above all other priorities,” the statement read.
The two-day strike last week resulted in the postponement of grade 10 and 12 national examinations to 31 October and 1 November.