Abyei urges teachers to return to work after four days strike

By Ngor Arol Garang

August 13, 2009 (KADUGLI) – The Abyei Deputy Chief Administrator, Rahma Abdel-Raman today called upon teachers to resume teaching after four days of strike for non-payment of salaries.

Abyei teachers went on strike since Monday to protest for non-payment of salaries since nine months. The move has been seeing unjustified and only disrupt children’s learning due to the exceptional and transitional conjuncture of the region.

After, about for years of dispute over the demarcation of boundary, Sudanese presidency has just confirmed the new administration of the Abyei which depends directly from the Sudanese presidency.

“You should work while asking government to pay but not stopping work because this will seriously affect pupils’ performance during exams,” said Rahma Abdel-Raman who was speaking from Khartoum to get some cash to pay teachers and other administrative services in the area.

“Abyei Chief Administrator joined me yesterday from Juba where he had been seeking financial supports from the government of Southern Sudan,” he said. “I have met all the concerned authorities including federal minister of finance and national economy currently working on the budget details,” he added.

During a meeting today with the federal finance minister Awad Al-Jaz, Abyei Area Chief Administrator, Arop Moyak and his deputy Rahma discussed the need to expedite transfer of Abyei budget.

“In our presence, the committee to follow up all these issues was formed by ministers and after chief administrator and me talked to him urging the finance ministry officials to come up with a mechanism to solve the problem of salaries as soon as possible,” Rahma asserted.

Arop Meyen Kuol, a teacher from Abyei boys’ basic primary school and member of the strike committee, said “it is not time to tell us stories but come with immediate ways to expedite how to pay our salaries.”

“How many letters and times did we send administration which has not responded till we resorted to taking such action as pressure on you,” he posed.

Nevertheless, he admitted the need to return to work in order to not hamper children’s rights to education and because under the current conjuncture their move is not supported by the local population.

“We will however accept to resume because pupils are approaching exams but not because we are hoping that this administration will solve our problem soon,” he commented.

(ST)