Guinean teacher unions dispute contract worker numbers

Guinean teacher unions are contesting official figures regarding the number of contract teachers in Conakry and demanding the fulfillment of previous government agreements. While a ministry official suggested there are only between 150 and 200 contract teachers in the capital, the Conakry Coordination of Contract Teachers and the Syndicat Libre des Enseignants et Chercheurs de Guinée (SLECG) assert that the actual number reaches into the thousands.

Following the announcement of a recruitment drive for 8,000 new teachers, the SLECG has called on the Ministry of Modernization of the Administration and the Ministry of National Education to strictly adhere to the protocol signed on January 3, 2026. Specifically, the union is demanding the application of 'point 7' of the agreement, which stipulates that municipal contract teachers who were not selected but passed classroom practice exams must be given priority in new engagements.

The unions emphasize that many contract teachers have been serving in schools since 2018 without regular pay and argue that the government should resolve the status of existing contract workers before proceeding with new recruitment processes.