Prof. John Akec, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Juba - Courtesy

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Juba has dropped his decision to resign after the presidency intervened to resolve the standoff.

Two weeks ago, John Akec threatened to quit his position if the Ministry of Finance and Planning failed to pay him and his staff, in line with the new salary structure by 26^th April.

He said he was ready to join the unemployed youth and become a vendor on the streets of Juba.

Professor Akec said he took the decision to draw the attention of the authorities to improve the living conditions of the lecturers and their families.

However, Akec said he retracted his decision on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, after Vice President Hussein Abdel-Baqi vowed to look into the concerns of the public university civil servants.

“The Vice Chancellor [Akec] was advised not to go on with the threat of quitting and that was accepted and so we are back in the game,” John Akec told Eye Radio.

“Our call is that we need to be given an improved salary so that our staff living stranded and their families are cared for,

“We are telling them [lecturers] they are not leaving us, they are motivated that we can attract people for the region and come and work in at the University of Juba and in South Sudan,

“What we are saying here is not just for the University of Juba, once we get that benefits, and staff of universities will also benefit,

“There is no industrial action but the negotiation is on, but we are not compromising on the salary.”

Comparing his salary to those of his counterparts in the region, Professor John Akec says, he earns too little.

According to him, Vice Chancellors of the universities in the East African region receive $10,000 a month.

He believed that improving the salary scales will attract academicians from the region to the country.