Monrovia – Four teachers at the Light International School, a school operated by Turkish nationals, in Sinkor are expected to be served dismissal letters by the school’s administration for requesting what they termed as “just benefits and salaries”.
Report by J. H. Webster Clayeh, [email protected]
Amada Togba, an English instructor and spokesman for the group of aggrieved teachers, told FrontPageAfrica that the school’s authority has refused to give clarity on how they are going to be paid for the coming instructional months.
Togba said they met with the Vice Principal for Instruction of the school, Mr. Benedict S. Nagbe, and requested that he (Nagbe) explains to them issues surrounding the continuation of the school year and how they will be compensated.
Togba added that the Vice Principal took them to the office of the Principal, Mr. Alper Erkan, who “did not say a word to them” (instructors) but threatened to “dismiss any instructor that will not go to class immediately to teach”.
“The only thing the principal had to say was that he is giving us five minutes and if we do not go to class he will dismiss all those who will not go to class. Four of us stood our ground. We said this is not fair. As a principal, we never even expected him to talk to us like that,” Togba said.
“Why will the principal intimidate us? To the extent that we will be running to class against our will? So, we said, we cannot take this thing; let us go home so he can dismiss us.”
When contacted via phone, the Vice Principal of the Light International School System refused to comment on whether there is a plan to dismiss the four instructors. He also declined to comment on the issue of instructors’ salaries and benefits.
In a text message, Vice Principal Nagbe wrote: “I hereby decline to make any comment on this issue or grant any interview with you.”
When the coronavirus pandemic began in March this year, academic activities were disrupted. All schools including the Light International School System were closed.
Teachers at the Light International School System said they were not paid their salaries or given any compensation during those months – when the school was closed.
The aggrieved teachers named themselves “Concerned Workers of the Light International School System” on May 9, 2020 met with the school administration. In that meeting, the administarion promised to settle teachers’ salaries and benefit when the economic condition becomes favorable.
Togba said after that meeting, teachers did not get any notification from the school’s administration about their salary.
“We wrote them a letter, we told them about our challenges in the midst of COVID-19 and we asked them to just give us something to keep us up,” Togba explained.
“They failed to call us to discuss. Every time we tried meeting them they said they were consulting the people at the Ministry of Labor. They could not give us any feedback.”
The Light International School System reopened on June 29, 2020, and few teachers were called to teach only the 12 graders for two months.
On Monday, August 17, classes resumed for other students. The instructors said they again called for a meeting with the school administration to address their concerns but they were not given any attention by the administration.
“Now we have been called to go and teach the other classes. So, we suppose to have a meeting. Before we go to teach we usually have a meeting where all of us will have a discussion,” Togba said.
“We have to know whether we will get a half salary or we will get some benefits. But nothing has been discussed. There has been no meeting. Only class schedules were given to us. And they send us text messages for us to go and teach.”