Jasharaj: 400 seriously ill teachers are forced to work

Some 400 seriously ill teachers continue to work in educational institutions because they have not yet found a suitable solution. That's what they say from the United Education, Science and Culture Union (SBASHK), until they ask the current government to allow them full pay and replace them with new frameworks. Meanwhile, from the Municipal Education Directorate in Pristina, they call disaster for the fact that seriously ill teachers are forced to work to avoid losing their jobs.

SBASK Chairman Beftman Jasharaj says their request continues to be that seriously ill teachers be released from the education process and paid at full pay.

And we've also repeatedly laid out the issue of workers with serious diseases in the education system since the clinics at the university, because we considered that the state has a humane duty to them because these people have been working years in education, but the disease has made it their own, and they're no longer able to make the required contribution... Our demand has been and it remains that these people be released from the learning process and paid full salary, the reason is human because the costs of healing their diseases are enormous and they are sending them to a small pension, we will damage them twice“, says Jasharaj.

Jasharaj says that according to collected data, there are about 400 teachers with chronic diseases engaged in kindergartens and even universities.

The most serious and humane choice would be to free these people from the learning process, instead of activating colleagues who are pending, are unemployed and who have done enough schooling for the education system... Based on tests from others and on notes A few years ago, there was a slightly smaller number, but in discussions with August and the DKA we reached a conclusion that this number could be 400. We insisted that a little larger number be taken so that when the budget is set up, don't happen to have a budget for a smaller number, and then we make one of them unfair:x0>, he follows.

Jasharaj argued that in addition to serious illness, educators have problems with hearing, sight, and forgetfulness because of their age, including heart disease, which, according to him, can also result from pressure at work.

He added that SBASK cannot contribute to these teachers.

Meanwhile, the education director in Pristina's municipality, Besiana Mousmurat for Kosova Prees, says they receive constant requests from this category of teachers for support, while adding that this topic should be treated more seriously since the government level.

There are many teachers who have sought support from the municipality, but also from the ministry to make solutions because of various diseases they have. We've been trying as a municipality to start implementing certain policies that give these cases a pay break. Unfortunately, the budgetary opportunities we have and are allowing the treasure are very limited at the moment, because we function with a total number of educational staff in the system. However, it's a very important topic that I think should be treated seriously, so that from the government level then even municipalities can implement it, because it's a disaster that we force teachers who have serious diseases to come out and keep learning and follow the lesson so that they don't lose their work post”, Musmurati says.

Musmurati says some 20 requests from sick teachers have been accepted in Pristina municipality to find solutions and offer support.

They have a health vacation, just as everyone else does, but for other days there have been times when we had to refuse because hours would be lost for children. So it's something we need to work on more, from the central level to find a solution. Then we as municipalities engage to implement exactly... The demands come all year round, they're ad hoc I don't remember a precise number, there have been around 20 requests, I'm saying different from year to year, there are many factors that affect, not necessarily meet the demands that are with the ministry's guidance, but that we sit down and look at”, the potential Musmati for Kosova Prees.

Meanwhile, in terms of these requirements, the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation has responded by saying that for 2023, the specific Grande of preuniversity education has been earmarked to 1,700,700,000 euros for seriously healthy teachers.

In April of last year, MANTUS has issued a guide for replacing and paying teachers with serious health. The aim of this guide is to help the Municipal Education Directorate make the decision to replace and pay the teachers with serious health conditions from the budget shared with the budget Law. According to this Guide, the DKA is the replacement, because employing teachers is in municipal competence. A total of 1,700,700,000 euros for heavily-healthed educators” were allocated for the year 2023 by the special pre-medical Grandi, said in the answer to August by e-mail.