Three local councils in the eastern countryside of Aleppo have issued simultaneous statements calling for an end to the teachers’ strike, threatening the teachers with dismissal.
The three statements were issued on Tuesday, on behalf of local councils in al-Bab, Bizaah, and Qabasin in rural Aleppo. The statements gave a deadline for teachers on strike to end their collective action by Wednesday, October 20th at the latest.
According to the statement, teachers’ salaries will be deducted by the number of days they have not attended school hours. And, if the teachers do not return to work after Wednesday, they will be dismissed from their jobs. These penalties will be imposed under the rules of procedure for these local councils, the statements said.
“Teachers must return to their schools so that they are not subject to any punishment or dismissal,” the three statements said, adding that “this decision was made compulsorily to protect the rights of our children, including the right to education, which is a fundamental human right.”
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Last Thursday, teachers in al-Bab and its surroundings announced a strike to protest collectively against low salaries and poor educational practices, according to the teachers. The strike began in the city of al-Bab and was later joined by the schools of Bizaah and Qabasin in the Aleppo countryside.
As a result of the “failure to respond” to their demands, teachers’ representatives issued a statement on Monday. The statement said that the teachers would continue their strike until their demands were met, and called on teachers”not to listen to the counter-productive forces that are trying to undermine the solidarity of teachers.”
Protesting teachers are focusing on two points: increasing teachers’ salaries and comprehensively improving the educational process, while residents of the area fear that the strike will continue for longer and their children will drop out of school.
The monthly salary of teachers in the region around Aleppo is 700 Turkish liras, which is equivalent to about 80 USD. The salaries are administered by the education directorates of the local councils.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
