The Malian government has initiated dialogue with teachers in Menaka (north), who are demanding better working conditions.
Malian Prime Minister General Abdoulaye Maiga met on Monday with a delegation of teachers from the Menaka region in the northeast of the country. This initiative aims to facilitate the return of educational services to an area marked by insecurity.
The group’s spokesperson, Fousseyni Kone expressed concerns about the teachers’ safety, requesting measures to ensure their safe travel from Bamako to Menaka, medical evacuations if necessary, as well as adequate housing and supplies. He affirmed the teachers’ willingness to return to their posts, provided their safety is guaranteed.
The Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs, General Sadio Camara, assured stakeholders that the security situation in Ménaka is now favourable for the teachers’ return. The meeting was attended by several members of the government, including the Ministers of National Education, Labour,
Civil Service, and Social Dialogue, as well as the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces.
The meeting comes as the governor of Menaka ordered the suspension of 151 teachers’ salaries for prolonged absences, effective April 1, 2025. This measure follows several unheeded warnings in a
region where 53 percent of schools are non-functional, affecting 45,000 students and 900 teachers.
Teachers’ unions denounce this decision, citing persistent insecurity, which makes returning to class risky.
They call for concerted solutions to ensure their safety before any resumption of classes.
The education crisis in Menaka is part of a broader crisis in Mali, where 1,722 out of 9,036 schools are closed, depriving 516,600 children of schooling and affecting more than 10,000 teachers.
This situation underscores the urgent need for appropriate measures to ensure access
to education in areas affected by insecurity.
MD/ac/fss/as/APA