Acting Minister of Education, Ali Al-Abed, during a television interview on Libya’s state Libya Al-Wataniya TV Channel, confirmed that the number of actual teachers in Libya’s educational institutions has reached approximately 180,000 male and female teachers with scheduled classes.
However, the number of administrative and other workers has reached approximately 420,000, giving a total of 600,000 employees, male and female teachers.
Al-Abed was reacting to public criticism that there were not enough teachers turning up for work with many schools complaining of a shortage of teachers – despite the huge number of teachers officially receiving wages.
Teaching allowance to be awarded to teachers – who actually teach
As a result, Al-Abed emphasize the need to activate the ‘‘class allowance’’ awarded to teachers who turn up and teach. This he hoped will be a reward for those who work but also an incentive for teachers who don’t.
Corruption in the printing of schoolbooks discovered
Answering the almost perennial question of why had schoolbooks not arrived at state schools yet – Alabed, who only took up his post as Acting Education Minister after his predecessor was sacked in summer, said the delay in the delivery of schoolbooks across the country has been as a result of a delay in their distribution and not a delay in their printing.
He admitted that the delay in distribution is premeditated by those who have lost out in the printing of the schoolbooks locally as opposed to abroad.
He revealed that the Attorney General has detained many who are either under investigation or awaiting trial in this matter.
The Acting Education Minister revealed that LD 400 million used to be spent on printing schoolbooks abroad and that this figure included much corruption. However, after investigation it was decided that in reality only about LD 217 million was needed to print the schoolbooks locally. This could reach around LD 250 million with delivery, storage etc.
He revealed that there has been much resistance by vested interests to printing it at a lower price and locally, including delaying the timely delivery of the books.
