Domasi graduates demand pay hike

Teachers who recently graduated from Domasi College of Education  have submitted to Parliament a petition on conditions of service.

Speaking with the media after submitting the petition, Vice Chairperson of Domasi College of Education Bachelor of Education (primary) graduates for 2014, 2015 and 2016, Benjamin Nyoka said that the petition is tackling issues like late posting of teachers from 2017-2016, salary increment and promotions.

“We are the members representing three cohorts who graduated from Domasi College of Education from 2014, 2015 and 2016. We are here presenting the petition to speaker of the Parliament through the parliamentary committee on education,” Nyoka said.

He revealed that the petition has various concerns such as  salaries, grades and posting of teachers to various Teachers Training Colleges (TTC).

“They should at least change our salaries, thus changing our grades and posting us to various TTCs. We have tried meeting officers for several times but we have seen that they are not attending to our concerns and that is why we have come here and ask Parliament to intervene through parliamentary committee for education,” Nyoka said.

According to the statement that Malawi24 has seen,  when a teacher upgrades his or her education level from Diploma to Degree, they are promoted to higher grades but this has not happened with the recent graduates.

“All along, teachers have been promoted from a lower grade like I, K and J once they attain a diploma or J to I once they attain a relevant Bachelor Degree from a recognised college or University . This is in line with Government Teaching Services Regulation under conditions of services for permanent and pensionable employees sections 15 (1) and (2),” reads the part of the petition.

The teachers  presented the petition to Dr Elias Chakwera who is the chairperson for the parliamentary committee on education so that the committee should pass it to the speaker Richard Msowoya.