Education unions announce a protest plan to enforce 15 demands

A group of unions representing primary and secondary education teachers has announced a new protest plan aimed at securing demands such as salary and allowance increases, repealing the (5+2) decision, and opening inter-district transfers for recruits.

According to a joint statement by nine unions, the protest plan will begin with a week-long nationwide strike starting February 12.

The statement further outlines additional measures, including protest sit-ins at regional education offices across the interior states and a resumption of the teaching strike on April 9, lasting for 14 days.

The unions emphasized that these actions aim to pressure authorities into meeting the teachers’ demands, which include:

• Providing adequate housing for education sector workers.
• Reclaiming amounts unlawfully deducted by banks in violation of financial regulations.
• Offering a “chalk allowance” for education service providers.
• Expediting the permanent employment of education service providers and enabling transfers and exchanges for them.

Other demands include:

• Disbursing service providers’ salaries at the beginning of each month.
• Providing contractual agents with housing, furnishing, and urban transportation allowances.
• Accelerating the chalk allowance payment process.
• Fast-tracking the fourth batch of recruitment exams, initially scheduled for completion by the end of 2024.
• Classifying primary schools as educational institutions.
• Enhancing the teaching of national languages.
• Signing the final agreement on dialogue in accordance with the technical committee protocols signed between union representatives and the ministry.

The unions that signed the statement are:

1. National Union for Public Education (SNEP)
2. Independent National Union of Teachers (SNIDE)
3. Mauritanian Union for the Primary Education Movement (SMMEF)
4. Association of Mauritanian School Directors (ARDEM)
5. Union of Lesson Supervisors (UDE)
6. Union for Permanent Employment
7. Mauritanian Teachers’ Union (SEM)
8. Education Service Providers Union (NAMU)
9. Union of Senior Mauritanian Teachers (NARMAM).