S. Sudan lecturers defy education minister, vow to continue strike
June 06, 2016 (JUBA) – South Sudanese university professors and lecturers have demanded that the country’s higher education minister, Peter Adwok Nyaba withdraws instructions demanding that striking staffs to resume teaching or “face consequences.”
“We demanded the minister of higher education to withdraw his threatening letter [that we resume work] or resign,” said Philip Finish, a lecturer from the University of Juba.
Finish was speaking during a meeting organised in response to a letter from the education minister addressed to lecturers, who are in a third week of a sit down strike.
Adwok, who had acknowledged as a basics right the lecturers’ decision to strike over a three month delayed salary payments, had asked the teaching staff to resume teaching.
He also warned against the continued strike, saying the staff would be punished if the was not ended. When contacted on Monday, Adwok said lecturers were not exceptional.
“The country is in an economic crisis and the lecturers will be paid once we get money,” he said.
But members of the university staffs dismissed the minister’s explanation as insufficient.
“We teach while standing for three hours in one class and if you have not eaten for days, you may even collapse in front of the students,” said a lecturer who preferred anonymity.
“We have not paid rents for three months and our children are suffering. We can’t continue to work without pay indefinitely,” he added.
The university lecturers have not been paid salaries for March, April and May as well as housing and transport allowances for 10 months. They also accuse the government of failing to honor similar pledges to pay lecturers in the past should the strike be called off.
A lecturer in a public university in South Sudan earns between $250 to $450 monthly.
(ST)