While the technical commissions planned as part of the memorandum of understanding signed on January 3, 2026 between the government and the education inter-union — made up of the National Education Union (SNE), the Federation of Education Professionals (FSPE) and the Free Union of Teachers and Researchers of Guinea (SLECG) — were to be installed in February, their implementation is still behind schedule. In an interview with Guinee360.com, Michel Pépé Balamou, secretary general of the National Education Union (SNE), discusses the reasons for this discrepancy, evokes the internal tensions which have slowed down the process and takes stock of the progress already recorded in the application of the commitments made.
Guinee360.com: The implementation of the January 3 memorandum of understanding was to resume in February with the installation of technical commissions. Why was this not done?
Michel Pépé Balamou: The implementation of the resolutions resulting from the memorandum of understanding signed on January 3, 2026 should normally resume in February, with the main objective of setting up several technical commissions. These include: the technical commission responsible for reporting and receiving administrative acts of appointment of executives in the education and training system; the technical commission responsible for dealing with the situation of the 4,500 contract teachers not retained following the classroom practice evaluation; the commission responsible for reviewing the special status of education and training personnel. These three commissions were to be operational from February. However, several imponderables delayed their implementation. These difficulties are notably linked to the late provision of lists by certain structures of the education inter-union, but also to leadership crises within the coordination of contract teachers, between the old coordination and the current coordination of those not retained. These differences created a climate of tension and slowed down the regular monitoring of resolutions. Nevertheless, efforts have been made to smooth the way and reach a consensus, in order to enable the operationalization of these commissions in the coming days.
There also seem to be disagreements around higher education. What is it exactly?
Another point of divergence concerns higher education. The National Autonomous Union of Higher Education and Scientific Research considers that it is not bound by the memorandum of understanding of January 3, 2026, on the grounds that it is not a signatory. This union would rather like the development of a special statute specifically dedicated to higher education. However, the work currently underway concerns the revision of the statute signed on June 12, 2006, which covers the three sub-sectors of education and training. This is therefore a global revision. In this context, it is important that the different trade union organizations harmonize their positions in order to save time. Otherwise, differences between unions could open gaps allowing the government to delay the status review process.
The government also offered study missions abroad. What is the objective of this initiative?
Furthermore, the government has proposed the organization of study missions in two or three countries in the sub-region, where there are statutes deemed better suited to the current requirements of the world of education. The objective would be to produce a synthesis in order to fuel a more relevant revision of the existing status. These different elements largely explain the delays observed.
A meeting of the National Social Dialogue Council was also due to be held at the end of February. Why didn’t it take place?
The National Council for Social Dialogue (CNDS) also convened a first meeting to follow up on the resolutions of the memorandum of understanding. This meeting was initially scheduled to take place on Friday February 27. However, it did not take place, in particular because the government’s financial commitments, relating to the revaluation of credit and preparation premiums, had not yet been materialized by an effective transfer. These bonuses, which are due to come into effect at the end of February, first require confirmation of their implementation before any follow-up meeting. During the previous consultation, it was agreed that the three technical commissions would be operational from Wednesday March 4, 2026. But given that the meeting of the monitoring committee ultimately did not take place last Friday and could be postponed to the following Friday, it is likely that this deadline cannot be respected.
Despite these delays, do unions remain confident?
Despite everything, this implementation remains a categorical and non-negotiable imperative, because legally formed conventions are binding on those who signed them. The memorandum of understanding constitutes in fact a reciprocal commitment between the government and the unions. The unions claim to have shown patience and believe that it is necessary to assess the situation realistically, taking into account both the balance of power and the interests of the constituents.
Can the current political and educational context influence this process?
The current context is particularly sensitive. Several important deadlines are approaching, including the municipal, senatorial, regional and legislative elections scheduled for May 24, 2026, as well as the national exams scheduled between the end of June and the beginning of July. In this context, it is important that the government makes social dialogue a real mode of management and governance of labor relations, in order to stabilize the social climate in schools, educational establishments and training institutions in the Republic of Guinea. According to union officials, it is better to prevent labor conflicts rather than having to manage crises in such a sensitive period. They also remind us that resorting to a strike is never a choice of heart for teachers. But, they say, it is often the failure to resolve problems during periods of stability that ultimately leads to them.
Are there any concrete advances resulting from the protocol?
Yes, it should however be recognized that certain points of the protocol have already been implemented. In this respect, the unions welcome the government’s efforts for having respected certain commitments made within the framework of the memorandum of understanding. Among the measures already applied include:
the revaluation of the credit premium, increased from 125,000 to 300,000 Guinean francs;
the preparation bonus, increased from 100,000 to 300,000 Guinean francs;
the tenure of 3,044 teachers admitted to the Tablet competition, effective at the end of this month, with the benefit of various bonuses linked to the exercise of the profession;
the reclassification of certain teachers, in particular those who passed the preparatory examination for certificate 2 in 2017;
the release of the salaries of more than 180 teachers who were until then blocked.
How are these first measures perceived by teachers?
These measures arouse real satisfaction among teachers, who regularly call their union leaders to congratulate them on these first achievements. The unions now hope that this dynamic will continue and that the other commitments which have not yet been implemented will actually be implemented by the end of March.
