CES teachers resume duty today
The Central Equatoria State Teachers’ Union has called off the strike after reaching an agreement with the state government on the 100 per cent salary raise.
The state government and teachers agreed on Friday after a nearly two-month strike where teachers protested the exclusion of a crucial column on the pay sheet, contrary to the approved new salary scale ordered by President Salva Kiir.
Speaking to The City Review on Sunday, Justine Walak, the Secretary-General of the Teachers’ Union, said the government had agreed to start paying teachers using the new salary scale and allowances on Monday, January 31.
He said teachers also agreed to resume work on the condition that their arrears be cleared by the commencement of the primary eight examinations.
“The payroll manager explained to us that tomorrow (Monday) they will start with November salary for all teachers, followed by October’s salary on Tuesday, September’s salary on Wednesday, and August’s salary on Thursday,” Mr. Walak said.
“In the case of salary of July, because the new salary structure came into effect July, it will be as arrears to all civil servants of the state.”
Recently, the national Minister of General Education and Instruction, Awut Deng Achuil, accused some governors of misappropriating education conditional transfers to pay teachers’ salaries and for the running of both primary and secondary schools across the country.
This came after teachers, particularly in Central Equatoria, laid down their tools, raising an alarm on the matter that threatened the fragile education system in the country with millions of children having no access to learning.
Earlier, the Minister of Information in Central Equatoria, Dr. Andruga Mabe said the state civil servants were paid, excluding the nature of work that prompted the strike by the teachers.
However, the matter became serious following the national Minister of Education Awut Deng’s revelation of the malpractice and called on governors to pay teachers full salary.
Dr. Mabe stated that they were waiting to get formal communication from the national government to implement the new salary structure.
The City Review could not reach the Central Equatoria State Minister of Finance for more insights into this agreement, which resulted in the calling off of a strike by teachers, as several calls to his phone went unanswered.
However, Mr. Walak warned that the teachers would resume the strike should the government fail to fulfil its pledge before the commencement of the national primary leaving examination, scheduled for February 14.
He called on the government to commit to the promise to prevent ruining the examinations and the future of South Sudanese students.
