This is indeed good news. Keep the pressure mounting. Your strong
condemnation of this draconian piece of trash is bearing fruit. GTU however
did not take full advantage of the opportunity you gave them and declare in
no uncertain terms that they disown some of the provisions you highlighted
in your letter. What I read from their reply was a lot of 'ifs' and 'buts'
and sitting on the fence. For example, they said: 'If the Code is aimed at
that, then it is unfortunate and we as teachers would have shied away from
our professional responsibilities.' Some of the provisions are clearly aimed
at making school life unbearable for our children. There are no 'ifs' about
that. In any case, am glad that they at least had the courtesy to respond
and also disassociated themselves from drafting of these oppressive codes.
What all of them (those present at the meeting and doing the drafting and
those present at the meeting and staring at the ceiling while our children's
future is being mortgaged to the devil) should realize is that, drafting the
code is one thing; making it stick is another ball game. Let them know that
we will challenge this in court and use other means at our disposal to make
sure that none of the parents (including themselves, who have kids in the
educational system) are made party to this fraud. They should not force or
deceive parents into signing this piece of trash. Keep up the good work.


>From: foroyaa <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Gambia Teachers' Union Clarifies Its Position on The Codes of
>         Conduct
>Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 17:26:30 +0100
>
>GAMBIA TEACHERS' UNION CLARIFIES ITS POSITION ON THE CODES OF CONDUCT
>
>The Gambia Teachers' Union has responded to a letter by FOROYAA on the
>Codes
>of Conduct reportedly drawn by the Conference of Principals of Junior and
>Senior Secondary Schools and The Gambia Teachers' Union.
>
>The letter was addressed to the President, the Secretary of State for
>Education, The Gambia Teachers' Union and the Conferences of Principals of
>Junior and Senior Secondary School.
>
>In the letter, we expressed concern on the arbitrariness shown in the
>formulation of the Codes; that the direction is to cultivate the embryo of
>a
>fascist State within the school system. We cautioned that a mature and
>democratically-minded leadership would not transfer the crisis of the
>Executive into the school system; that the principals and
>headmasters/headmistresses must not be seen as the mere gendarmes of the
>regime within the school system.
>
>In response, the GTU wrote the following reply:
>
>Refer to your open letter addressed to the Teachers' Union captioned "THE
>NEED TO TAKE TWO STEPS FORWARD INSTEAD OF ONE STEP BACKWARDS", the Gambia
>Teachers' Union (GTU) National Executive Committee (NEC) wishes to make
>certain clarifications and also clearly state its position vis-a-vis the
>Code of Conduct for Gambian Schools. GTU wishes to first make these
>clarifications:-
>
>I. The GTU NEC has never been part of the committee that prepared the Code
>of Conduct for students. What is true is that GTU sent a representative to
>the Meeting of Principals and Officials of the Department of State for
>Education on the 17 April 2000 and at a subsequent meeting of the same
>group
>at State House on the 18th April 2000 at which resolutions were presented
>and discussed. GTU insisted having a representative at these meetings
>because as the Parent body of teachers it must take interest in matters
>that
>affect students who are supposed to be under the care of teachers. This was
>GTU's involvement at that level and we are convinced that the action was
>apt.
>
>II. A Committee of Principals of Schools was set and charged with the task
>to draft a Code of Conduct. The GTU was not represented on this Committee.
>The GTU member who attended this meeting wore a Principal's Cap and this
>should not in anyway imply that the Executive Committee of the GTU was part
>of the draft. It must be made clear that the Committee was also asked to
>draft a Code for Teachers, an exercise which is yet to be done. What GTU
>did, was to access this working Committee a draft Code for teachers (which
>had still not been finalised but pending review) as a working document as
>requested by the Committee. Here too, GTU was interested in having an input
>in a Code that was to guide its membership.
>
>III. GTU certainly allowed the Working Committee access to its conference
>room at GTU Headquarters. The Committee Members are teachers and indeed
>members of the Union thus giving them right to use the facility. This was
>GTU's involvement as regarding this issue.
>
>Secondly, notwithstanding the misinformation, GTU cannot be insensitive to
>the issue at stake and wishes to make its position clear. We appreciate
>FOROYAA's observations otherwise GTU could have been slaughtered in the
>dark
>unknowingly. Whatever degree of involvement on the part of GTU, it was
>based
>on an interest and concern for peace, tranquillity and justice. This
>position has been made clear in the GTU Press Release of April 18, 2000 on
>the Student Demonstrations. Consequently, this Organisation cannot see
>itself taking a step backwards.
>
>As teachers, we are and indeed are expected to be interested in students'
>welfare. Certainly we cannot allow ourselves to be less motivated by noble
>visions and missions. This can be testified by the fact that teachers have
>been offering their services relentlessly in the interest of Gambian
>children in spite of the fact that they are faced with frustrations and
>indeed poor conditions of work. Certainly we are alarmed that teachers
>including heads, considering the work they do, could be seen as having no
>regard for dignity and self worth of human beings. We certainly are
>expected
>to mould the lives of these youngsters to become independent minded and
>responsible citizens. Therefore Principals and Heads of Schools will be
>remiss in their professional duties if they draft rules that are meant to
>be
>repressive. This we hope has not been the intention. However, an intention
>can lend itself to interpretations that may differ from that of the
>intended. If therefore any Code of Conduct is meant to arrest the freedom,
>solidarity, understanding and happiness of school children then Code should
>be thrown out and GTU and its family will divorce itself from such
>document.
>As far as GTU is aware the Code of Conduct referred to, is a Draft and not
>an approved document. Our understanding has been that the document was
>supposed to be presented to all heads of schools and parents for comments
>from which a final Code will be prepared to all heads of schools and
>parents
>for comments from which a final Code will be prepared and then submitted to
>the Department of State for Education for endorsement and approval. In such
>a case all positive observations and inputs would have been put in place.
>GTU is of the candid opinion that the Draft document should never have been
>circulated to schools unfinished and unapproved. Principals of Schools do
>not have the legal authority to prepare, approve and implement any such
>Codes of Conduct. Of course Heads of Schools must take interest and
>possibly
>initiate rules that can be put in place in schools and indeed it was this
>thinking that encouraged Principals to take part in the draft. That is
>where
>the role of the Committee set to prepare the draft, was supposed to stop.
>
>As matters stand and as observed in the preamble of the Code of Conduct, it
>is implied that the Conference of Principals and GTU Executive Committee
>prepared and approved the Code of Conduct. This is far from being the case
>and whoever must have done the preamble and equally whoever must have
>distributed the draft has an apology to make certainly to the GTU and even
>the Conference of Principals. It is indeed bad taste to be unfairly
>implicated in a messy situation. This document need not have been rushed as
>matters entailed are supposed to affect the entire school climate.
>
>This document, we repeat, is in its raw form and as a draft it can never
>and
>should not be implemented. GTU as the parent body of teachers wishes to
>advise Heads of Schools to halt the implementation of the Code of Conduct
>until such time that it undergoes the required stages, otherwise we will be
>entangling ourselves into what we do not understand. The big question is:
>why has the Department of State for Education not given a stamp of approval
>to the document? One would have expected an approval signed by either the
>Secretary of State for Education or the Permanent Secretary. Otherwise the
>document should have bore the letterhead of the Department of State for
>Education, an indication of authority. This has not been done. Therefore is
>it judicious for Heads of Schools to implement this on their own accord?
>Certainly not. At this moment in time, no one should hide behind the cloak
>to dip others into an ocean they may find difficult to swim to safety.
>
>Finally as we do appreciate the observations made by FOROYAA, GTU wishes to
>assure every Gambian that teachers, including Heads of Schools are lovers
>of
>children and do not intend to make school life unbearable to students. If
>the Code is aimed at that, then it is unfortunate and we as teachers would
>have shied away from our professional responsibilities. We are convinced
>and
>hope that this shall never be the case. This is how matters stand at GTU.
>
>Thank you.
>
>NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
>GAMBIA TEACHERS' UNION.
>
>As is evident from the letter, the GTU is claiming that they are not part
>of
>the drafters of the Codes which they regard as a draft. We have not yet
>succeeded in getting a response from the Conference of Principals on these
>matters.
>
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