Students barricade streets over teachers' strike

Scores of students in Moroni, the capital of the Comoros Islands, took to the streets on Tuesday, demanding government action to end a teachers' strike that has closed schools. More than 300 teachers across the Indian Ocean archipelago failed to turn up for classes at the start of the school term earlier this month, protesting accumulated salary arrears. The headmaster of Said Mohammed Cheik Secondary School, Abdorahim Said Bacar, told IRIN the demonstration turned violent after students blocked roads with burning tyres and large stones. "The situation began on Monday afternoon, when students started throwing rocks at shop windows and setting up barricades around the city. The police then moved in to dismantle the barricades and, in some cases, scuffles broke out. So far several arrests have been made, and a number of students injured, but I suspect that the situation could get worse if nothing is done to address the frustrations of the students," Bacar told IRIN. After negotiating with the teachers' union last year, the authorities paid a month of arrears, but teachers have yet to receive their salaries for November and December. "The education department said it could only afford to pay November and December salaries over the next six months, but that is completely unsatisfactory - especially since teachers don't earn a lot and are forced to work, in some cases, in private schools to supplement their salaries," Bacar added. On average, teachers in the impoverished country receive 150,000 Comoran Francs (KMF) per month (about US $370). The authorities have argued that insufficient funds was the main cause for the delay in payments, but Bacar countered this by attributing the current situation to recent political restructuring, which has placed a further strain on already limited resources. After a February 2001 agreement brought a measure of stability to the coup-prone country, each of the islands - Grande Comore, Moheli and Anjouan - has its own president and legislature, with a federal president and parliament on the largest island, Grande Comore. "A significant amount of government funds is spent on maintaining these additional institutions; this has left very little for other important sectors, such as education and health," Bacar explained. "The government needs to prioritise, and decide to spend on those areas which will contribute to the development of the country." Union government spokesman Houmed M'Saidie downplayed the unrest, saying that the government remained opened to negotiations over teachers' salaries. He told IRIN that plans were underway to "resolve the misunderstanding", and teachers would soon return to school.