The National Association of Teachers (Anapro) of Mozambique on Tuesday accused the government of forcibly transferring militant teachers or those allegedly linked to the opposition to remote schools, calling the action “the height of political intolerance.”
“They do not respect the law, they persecute arbitrarily, this is the height of political intolerance,” Anapro president Isak Marrengula told Luse.
Lusa has so far failed to get the Ministry of Education and Human Development to respond to the teachers’ allegations.
Marrengula said that in the southern municipality of Vilankulo, several teachers were transferred to schools more than 150 kilometers away from where they worked due to suspicions of opposition affiliation.
Vilanculo, which was a stronghold of the ruling Mozambican Liberation Front (Frelimo) party, defeated the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo), the main opposition party, in October local elections.
In the municipality of Milange, in central Mozambique, an opposition candidate in local elections was also transferred as a result of “political persecution”, President Anapro said.
Marrengula said other teachers had been the victims of threats from education sector leaders and Frelimo members due to alleged links to the opposition.
The leader said the transfer of teachers was carried out against the law as the rules stipulate that displaced persons should receive an adaptation allowance equivalent to three minimum wages.
President Anapro accused the President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, who is himself a university professor, of being morally responsible for the persecution of teachers.
At the end of January, Nyusi said the profession was “confused and agitating” following protests over the way the Unified Salary Table (UST) was being implemented.
“We are not agitators, we are not confused, and certainly not noisy,” Marrengula emphasized.
The director said Anapro’s legal department is exploring ways to peacefully combat “forced transfers.”
Marrengula said the harassment of teachers began after days of class struggle against TSU in 2023.