President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has said that the salaries of the teachers cannot be increased this year as demanded by the Teachers Association.
He made this remark speaking to the media following his arrival to Maldives concluding his official visit to Singapore and Sri Lanka.
The President said that the salaries can only be increased by submitting it to the Peoples’ Majlis to be included in the state budget of next year. He said that this can be done by cutting down the expenses and saving a budget to be allocated for this.
He added that if the salaries are to be increased then it should not be restricted to teachers but the salaries of other professions should be increased as well.
President Yameen stated that the issue reached such levels that teachers are now protesting because of the lack of dialogue. He said that he does not believe that the teachers will hold the protest without holding any dialogue to discuss their concerns.
President of the Teachers Association, Athif Abdul Hakeem said that there should be equality when allocating salaries whether the salaries are increased or decreased.
Salaries of others in addition to teachers should be increased- President
