Union bemoans teachers’ status

UNEQUAL payment for school principals and bad working conditions in certain regions featured prominently in a statement made by the Namibia Teachers’ Union (TUN) yesterday.

Today is World Teachers’ Day, and the TUN yesterday used the opportunity to express itself on the state of the profession in Namibia. One of the main issues discussed was the difference in salaries paid to primary and secondary school teachers, with the latter entitled to more pay.”It is a great concern for TUN that principals of primary schools are differently paid from principals of secondary schools,” TUN Deputy President Chanville Mackrill said.”In fact there is no logic in this.It basically boils down to discrimination (against) primary school principals because they earn less than their counterparts in secondary schools,” he said.He noted that heads of departments at secondary schools earn the same salaries as primary school principals, calling this a “degrading situation” for primary school principals.Mackrill said he wished for a return of the status teachers used to have in society.”The teacher is an important person in the nation.Everyone who becomes someone in this life has gone through the hands of a teacher,” he said.The union further expressed sympathy with teachers in war-torn countries, denouncing the fact that resources, “which should be channelled towards the urgent needs of humanity, are wasted as a consequence of the blind promotion of the tools of war and violence.”One of the main issues discussed was the difference in salaries paid to primary and secondary school teachers, with the latter entitled to more pay.”It is a great concern for TUN that principals of primary schools are differently paid from principals of secondary schools,” TUN Deputy President Chanville Mackrill said.”In fact there is no logic in this.It basically boils down to discrimination (against) primary school principals because they earn less than their counterparts in secondary schools,” he said.He noted that heads of departments at secondary schools earn the same salaries as primary school principals, calling this a “degrading situation” for primary school principals. Mackrill said he wished for a return of the status teachers used to have in society.”The teacher is an important person in the nation.Everyone who becomes someone in this life has gone through the hands of a teacher,” he said.The union further expressed sympathy with teachers in war-torn countries, denouncing the fact that resources, “which should be channelled towards the urgent needs of humanity, are wasted as a consequence of the blind promotion of the tools of war and violence.”