Teachers who wrote a petition to demand deducted salary, in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State. (-)

Teachers in Northern Bhar El Ghazal have petitioned the state government to demand an alleged 214 million South Sudanese pound balance deducted from their salaries mid last year, before schools reopen this academic year.

The petition signed by 23 teachers is calling on the state Ministry of Education to release the amount alleged to be 215,000,000 South Sudanese pounds.

It further demands an end to what it terms as illegal deduction of teachers’ salaries and calls for a refund of the teachers’ dues allegedly cut from 2021 to 2023.

The group calling itself teachers’ representative from the state’s five counties demanded that schools remain closed until the issue is addressed.

Mohammed (not his real name), one of the teachers’ representatives from Aweil town said they are willing to lay down their tools if the matter is not resolved.

“We have written the petition and even yesterday (Saturday). I have sent it because the petition is about the cutting of salaries which was cut from July salaries,” he said.

“The teachers have since requested, but they (education ministry) have not returned the money and that’s why currently, the teachers are saying that we cannot be able to teach if the government of Northern Bhar El ghazal fails to bring out this money, then we will not be able to teach.”

Teachers representative Mohammed said his group submitted the petition to the state ministry of education but that it remains silent on the issue.

He added that the national government has launched an investigation on how the teachers’ salaries were deducted.

“We are now ready to lay down or tools, and if schools are going to open on Monday, there is no one to teach, because we went to the minister, but the minister did not response properly.”

When contacted, Northern Bahr el Ghazal Education Minister Santino Bol Akok said he could not speak to the media on a weekend, adding that he is ready to speak on workdays.

On January 12, hundreds of Primary and Secondary School teachers were arrested in Aweil city for allegedly staging a violent protest to demand the salary arrears.

The state police commissioner said the teachers had refused to receive their salaries in protest of the deduction allegedly by the state Ministry of Finance.

Major General Phillip Madut narrated that when the salary was taken back, the teachers stoned police officers guarding the finance leaving some of them critically injured some of them.

The teachers were all released a few days later.