Middle East Monitor / March 23, 2023
The Unified Teachers Movement in the West Bank has rejected the government’s initiative to resolve the crisis with the teachers, stressing that any initiative that does not include the full implementation of their demands will not succeed.
The Movement said in a statement that “the abolition of previous penalties is not part of the movement’s demands, as it is a right that cannot be discussed as a demand and, therefore, it is not possible to return to full-time work without removing the penalties imposed on any male and female teacher”.
The Movement has also affirmed the continuation of the strike in public schools in its current form, until the government finds a radical solution to the crisis.
A spokesman for the Palestinian government, Ibrahim Melhem, announced in a press conference, held Thursday, that the Palestinian government agreed to return all amounts deducted from the salaries of teachers who had been on strike and implement the 15 per cent bonus, of which 5 per cent will be dispersed in March.
Melhem said the government has responded to all demands necessary to return public schools to normal, starting next Sunday morning.
He stressed that the Ministry of Education has developed a special program to compensate students for lessons they had missed, and will provide everything necessary to hold elections for the Teachers Union.
