Africa-Press – Liberia. CountyOver 150 aggrieved retired public school teachers in Kolahun District, Lofa County have decried the appalling living conditions and hardship they are encountering as a result of the decision taken by the Government of Liberia (GOL), through the Ministry of Education (MOE) to “prematurely” retire them.
It can be recalled that in August 2020, the Liberian government retired hundreds of public school teachers, claiming that they have reached the retirement age of 65. The action was heavily challenged and condemned across the country as a result of huge economic challenges which were confronting the affected teachers and their family members.
But speaking in an interview with FrontPage Africa recently in Kolahun district, Lofa County, the Spokesperson of the aggrieved retired teachers Sando K. Balay, 63, justified that the decision taken by the government was not timely.
According to him, the retirement of the teachers, some of who did not reach the retirement age of 65, was carried out by the government without any prior notice.
He claimed that government went belong the retirement age by retiring him and scores of others aggrieved teachers in the area.
He pointed out that though the biometric identification cards given to them indicated that they should have been retired in 2024, the government, through the MOE, prematurely carried out the exercise affecting them and their respective households.
“We were abruptly retired by the Ministry of Education-we came to the local bank here to receive our money and we were told that we couldn’t get our money because we were retired. There was no notification. We were prematurely retired without salaries by 2020. If you intend to retire people, at least you give them three months’ notice”.
He added that despite promise made by government to reinstate those who did not reach the age of retirement, nothing has been done for nearly a year now to address their concerns.
“As for me, I been in the classroom from 1989 and I was out in 2020. I was retired even though I was born 1959. Our organization chased them and the ministry said they came up with 20 names from the county and those people were going to go back to the classrooms because they have not reached the retirement age of 65. But from that time, we can’t go back in the classrooms and they can’t give us salaries”.
Mr. Balay described government’s action as a sheer wickedness intended to impose more hardship on the already impoverished and struggling less fortunate Liberians.
From teachers to farmers
Mr. Balay pointed out that the failure of the government to reinstate those who did not reach the retirement age has compelled him and most of his colleagues to return in the bushes to engage into farming activities.
He noted that though they were trained as professional teachers, they have no other option but to plant crops for both feeding and commercial activities to sustain them and their respective family members.
“We are going back into the bush to make farm just to sustain our families”.
Early graves
Mr. Balay claimed that some of his colleagues who have been “prematurely retired” have lost their lives as a result of frustration.
He added that those taken to their “early graves” could no longer cope with the hardship and challenges they were encountering, following their retirement.
“The government’s decision frustrated people that they have to go to their early graves. As we speak, we just came from burying one of our friends because of the condition that he found himself with, he couldn’t cope with it; he had to die”.
Mr. Palay pointed out that few other retired public school teachers have also been confined to wheelchairs after battling stroke following the decision taken by the government.
Pleas
Meanwhile, the aggrieved retired public school teachers are calling for the full payment of pension benefits to those who have already reached the age of 65.
Mr. Balay observed that benefits of the retirees are not being paid by the National Social Security and Welfare Corporation (NASSCORP).
“Our pension benefits are monies that they took from us while we were working and so, they should give it back to us. It has been kept with NASSCORP ”.
He blamed the delay in the release of their retirement benefits to the alleged failure of the government, through the Ministries of Education and Finance and Development Planning to notify or request them to do so.
“They should pay us our handshake and pay our regular pension benefits to sustain ourselves every month. Some people received the handshake at the rate of US$700, but the regular pension benefits they been taking from us for the couple of years we started working, they have not given back to us”.
He said the National Pension Union (NPU) has been assiduously working to ensure that their legitimate concerns are addressed but to no avail.
“Our Union is on their backs, but they are not listening. They will promise and they will not implement”.
Mr. Balay stressed that more retired teachers and some of their respective family members will continue to die from frustration one after the other if the government fails to reinstate those who have not reached the retirement age of 65 or pay the retirees their just benefits in the wake of harsh economic constraints.
“As we speak, one of our friends, Augustine Ngafuan has expired. He did not receive anything from August 2020 until he died”.
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