Teachers strike in East Darfur enters fourth week

September 30, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – The teachers’ strike in East Darfur state has entered its fourth week as the government has failed to pay salary arrears dating back to 2011.

Al-Zain Adam, a member of the teachers association, told Sudan Tribune that the state government did not fulfill its pledge to settle their financial dues last week, stressing that they will not lift the strike until the government meets its commitments.

He said the government is not keen to resolve the crisis, adding that education in the state faces several problems including lack of seating capacity and books and the deteriorating school environment.

Adam pointed out that the teachers association signed an agreement with government to pay the first premium of the financial arrears and pay the rest of the money according to a clear timetable.

The minister of education in East Darfur, Sideeg Abdel-Nabi, said his ministry made significant efforts with the federal government to resolve the crisis, acknowledging that these efforts have not been successful so far.

He urged the teachers’ association to coordinate with the government to resolve the crisis, noting that the strike hurts mainly students of the state.

Abdel-Nabi added that teachers have fair demands and the state’s government is obliged to meet them.

Teachers associations in three states in Darfur went on strike for more than two weeks over unpaid salary arrears.

Last August, the teachers association in South Darfur state lifted a three-week strike following a settlement with the finance ministry and the labor union whereby the teachers receive 50% of their unpaid salaries by mid-October.

The head of the teachers association in south Nyala administrative unit, Abdel-Rahman Musa, in a statement to Sudan Tribune, threatened to resume the strike if the government fails to pay salary arrears at the agreed time.

Teachers’ financial rights in South Darfur state amounted to 40 million pounds (SDG) as of last August.

Mustafa Mohamed, an education director, said that renewed teachers strikes had adversely affected students’ academic achievement in the state, noting that the school year is doomed.

He emphasized to Sudan Tribune that teachers strike negatively impacts morale of students and their parents.

An official source within the ministry of education, who requested anonymity for security reasons, told Sudan Tribune that the real reason behind salary arrears is that the union does not reflect the true will of teachers because it was imposed on them by the government, underscoring that fair and free elections have not been held previously.

He accused the teachers’ unions of colluding with the state finance ministry, stressing that the federal finance ministry paid all salaries but the state finance ministry used the money for other purposes and the teachers unions were aware of that.

The teachers association in North Darfur state also lifted a two-week strike after it reached a settlement with the state government.

The head of teachers association in El-Fashir locality, Mohamed al-Faki, said the government pledged to pay 50% of the salary arrears in November besides paying all bonuses.

The governor of North Darfur state, Osman Mohamed Youssef Kibir, had previously refused to deal with the teachers’ committee, saying that the teachers’ union is the sole legitimate body authorized to speak on their behalf.

Teachers in El-Fashir locality accused the teacher union of collusion and procrastination which led to accumulation of salary arrears.

(ST)