Stefanus Nashama
The Affirmative Repositioning Movement’s (AR) leader, Job Amupanda says his party will consider creating a Grade 7 Salary Scale for senior teachers if elected into power in November 2024.
Amupanda announced this on his social media platforms this week.
“As president and under the AR government, we will introduce a Grade 7 salary scale to accommodate a somewhat senior teacher between an ordinary teacher and a HOD,” he stated.
According to Amupanda, it is not fair for teachers to retire as ordinary teachers while their students become presidents and professors.
“Imagine teaching for 34 years, retiring as a teacher, while your learners grow to become professors and presidents. They must at least retire as senior teachers. This must end. It’s not fair,” he stated.
Amupanda said that his party will not tolerate the current Swapo-led government’s mistreatment of teachers.
“We can’t stand and watch teachers being mistreated by the corrupt regime. Look at the salary scales. A teacher is paid at Grade 8 and a HOD is paid at Grade 6. Next is the principal at Grade 5. There is no Grade 7. There is no explanation, for 34 years, of this mediocre grading,” he emphasised.
He said that the Namibian Police encountered the same problem but resolved it.
“There were similar chaos and gaps between the chief inspector and the inspector. The rank of senior inspector was created last year to resolve this problem,” he said.
Amupanda blamed the Namibia National Teachers Union (NANTU) for the matter.
He further accused NANTU of being captured by Swapo and not addressing the matter.
“This did not happen to teachers simply because NANTU leaders are in Swapo structures and boards,” he claimed.
At the same time, Amupanda raised concerns about teachers being dismissed and losing jobs for disciplining learners at schools without being taken to disciplinary hearings.
“A teacher at Afoti Combined School is actually physically disciplining three learners. He only got a warning. Teacher Peter Ndeulita only made a learner carry a chair, but he lost his job. The other one got a warning. Same ministry, different standards,” he said.
To him, such things happen because the government is weak, zigzag with no clear standards.
Timoteus Haiduwa, a senior teacher at the Enngendjo Secondary School in the Ohangwena region said the idea of creating Grade 7 in teaching is required since there is a huge gap between an ordinary teacher and HOD.
“It will be much more fair if there is a Grade 7 salary scale because those who will not make it to other positions can be granted the post of senior teacher at Grade 7,” he said.
Haiduwa, some of these issues have been raised but not looked into by the ministry.
He urged the government to also look into the matter of salary increases in percentages.
Efforts to get comments from NANTU’s secretary-general, Loide Shaanika, ended in vain.
Minister of Education, Arts and Culture, Anna Nghipondoka, did not respond to questions sent.
