Strikes!

Namibian teachers are going on strike!

All of the teachers in the Khomas region, in the middle of the country where Windhoek is, have been on strike for about a week. Teachers from other regions have slowly started to join them, town by town, and thousands of teachers (out of the 20,000 employed in Nam) are now striking, apparently. So far Tses teachers have not made the decision to strike, although they're worried that they are viewed as "parasites" and will not get whatever rewards the strike results in. However, 5/8 (I think?) schools in the nearest town, Keetmanshoop, are striking.

I remember our teachers striking at home when I was in middle school, and that was bad enough. But here, most of the kids don't have a place to be if the teachers on strike. There is nobody at home, or they are staying in the school hostel anyway. And, the older learners have exams starting on Monday (grades 8 and 9 for sure, I'm not positive exactly when exams start for other grades), and I wonder how much studying they are really doing on their own.

It's a contentious issue though, as all strikes are. Do the teachers stand up for their rights, or do they stay in school for the sake of the kids?

The two teachers' unions in Namibia are both involved somehow. Teachers are asking for more pay, time off, ... I don't know all of the issues, exactly. BUT, teachers already make more than nearly anyone else in Namibia. It's hard to know who's right!

The good thing is, Namibia is a super peaceful place and so far the strikes have just encouraged everyone to get this thing resolved quickly!