More teachers have now joined the sit-down strike championed by Teachers For Change (TFC) after words of threat were issued by the vice president and minister of Women's Affairs, Ousainou Darboe, during his meeting with the executive of TFC at his office at State House.

Mr. Darboe threatened that if teacher strikers fail to report to school effective Sept. 28, their services will be terminated and be replaced with retired teachers. However, his threat is proving to be disastrous as more teachers are now joining the strike instead.

Last Sunday, 24th of September 2018, about 400 teachers attended a meeting organised by members of the TFC. But on Thursday morning, more than 500 teachers attended the meeting organised by the TFC in Abuko.

Kanifing Upper and Senior Secondary School with other teachers from different school were the latest to join the sit-down strike.

Parts of the demands of TFC include increment of their salaries, issuing of identify card, no delay in the payment of their allowances and also timely payment of their provincial hardship allowances among others.

The spokesperson of TFC, Alhassan Ceesay, said their sit-down strike will only come to an end if their demands are met. "We are so much disappointed that such kinds of threats are coming from the vice president who is also a legal luminary. I want to make it clear that our move is not politically motivated. Therefore, unless and until the authorities are willing to negotiate or meet our demands, we are not going back to school," he emphasised.

According to Mr. Ceesay, over one thousand teachers are currently embarking on the sit-down strike across the country. "The government cannot do anything to us; beside the threat from Darboe is in fact encouraging us and putting us much stronger. We are not going to call off the sit-down strikes for the fact that the authorities are not respecting us."

Ismalie Manga, chairman of the Network of Mission Teachers expressed disappointment over the threat issued by the country No. 2. "We were not expecting to receive threats from the authorities particularly from the VP. Therefore, our strike will continue so long our demands are not meet."

The secretary general to the Task Force, Abdoulie Jallow, challenged other teachers to stand in solidarity with them, adding that their fight is for the betterment and welfare of all Gambians teachers. "The engagement we had with the authorities clearly manifests that teachers are not respected in the country. The struggle continues until our demands are met," he said.

Mamut Jagne, a teacher at Kanifing Upper and Senior Secondary School who joined the sit-down strike yesterday said the threats issued by the vice president encouraged him and his colleagues to join the crusade.

The chairman of TFC, Babucarr Janko, and Modou Gaye both urged the authorities to address their demands or else they are not going back to schools.