School teachers in dispute with government over pay

Ethiopia's teachers said on Tuesday they were embroiled in a dispute over recently introduced performance-related pay. The Ethiopian Teachers Association (ETA), which represents 150,000 teachers, said it would hold a rally next month, claiming a pay rise teachers were entitled to had been scrapped. A newly qualified teacher in Ethiopia earns a basic salary of around US $90 a month. Ethiopia has one of the poorest levels of education in the world - only around half of the 12 million school-age population receives any kind of teaching. Under the United Nations anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals, all children must receive primary education by 2015. "Teachers need a salary increase," Anteye Kebede, head of ETA, told IRIN. "The last time teachers received a pay increase was three years ago. We deserve better treatment." Anteye, who has been in charge of ETA for two years, said that other civil servants were better paid and enjoyed better conditions than the teachers. "Teachers in state-owned schools are entitled to a pay rise every two years like any other civil servant," he said. This traditional pay deal, however, was suspended after the introduction of performance-related pay structures by the government in a bid to improve quality. The government points to major weaknesses among teachers. According to the Ministry of Education, less than half of teachers in secondary schools have a degree. The ministry argues that the lack of qualified teachers is a major "bottleneck" to providing good secondary education in the country, where less than half the population can read or write. Under a major $100 million World Bank initiative, the government has aimed to boost school enrolment. But some critics say this has led to a decline in quality. The boost means the ratio of pupils to teachers - which currently stands at 60 children to one teacher - has been increasing over the last four years, government statistics show. The right of children to be taught in their mother tongue - there are 19 different language groups - has further stretched an already overburdened sector. Development agencies in Ethiopia also argue that poor teaching is a major factor as to why many children either repeat classes or completely drop out of school. According to the government, one child in four drops out before completing primary education and only one in 10 makes it to secondary school. "The government says the standards are low but we think the government is not evaluating our work in a proper way," Anteye said. "If the government refuses to increase our pay we will take other measures, like stopping work. But that would have to be agreed by the teachers' general assembly". ETA, which is the largest teaching federation in the country, recently split into two organisations, with Anteye more aligned to the government. Taye Wolde Semayat, a vocal critic of the government, also claims presidency of ETA after having served as its head in 1992.