8th February 2025
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Gogrial West teachers reject screening test over unpaid 14-month arrears

Author: Wol Mapal | Published: February 4, 2025

Teachers protest non-payment of salary a school in Gogrial East. February 3, 2025. (-)

Public primary school teachers in Gogrial West County in Warrap State have boycotted an assessment examination citing the payment of 14 months’ salary arrears.

Annually, the Ministry of General Education and Instruction conducts a nationwide teachers screening test to evaluate government teachers’ qualifications and capabilities in primary schools.

The assessment started in January 2025 in Lakes State with hundreds of teachers sitting for the screening exams.

On Monday, an unspecified number of government teachers in Gogrial West refused to take the test, demanding their 14 months’ salary arrears to be rewarded.

Baak Baak, a teacher at Rum-Akuong Primary School in Gogrial West, said they would only sit for the exams when their arrears are cleared. Mr. Baak emphasized that the government should be responsive to their welfare by paying all the 14 months of arears.

“The Ministry of Education came to Gogrial West County to conduct screening test to government teachers and they found government teachers were very frustrated,” he said in an interview with Eye Radio.

“They had heard there were two months’ salary, and one of the finance officials went to claim the salary and he was told there is no cash. When he returned and told teachers there were no cash in the bank, it prompted the frustration.”

“So when they heard of exams, they were even surprised and said; why would the government give exams and there is no salary. Actually, they were patient for 14 months without salary. That is the reason they rejected the exams and said salary must first be paid.”

However, Isaac Kuot, a teacher from Gogrial Basic Primary School said government is less considerate of the teachers’ welfare across the country, citing the delay of unpaid salary arrears as a setback to their families.

“We asked, why would the test come before the money? We calculated the number of months without salary, and it was 14 months without a single coin being released for the teachers.”

“We the teachers are suffering a lot. So, we do ask whether we are human beings or just animals. And if we are being considered as teachers, why would the government delay our salary up to 14 months?”

Government employees including the armed forces have not been paid for more than one year – in an economic crisis that left the national government struggling to meet its expenditures.

This comes after multiple crises including the Sudan war and the departure of Malaysian oil subsidiary Petronas – severely disrupted oil exports and deprived the country’s coffers of oil income – which is the main source of revenue.

When contacted, Warrap State Minister of General Education Deborah Awut Mayom, said the screening exams has no relation with salary arrears.

Ms. Mayom clarified that teachers assessment test is an initiative from the national Ministry of General Education and Instruction, and aims at evaluating teachers’ qualification and capabilities to improve quality education system in the country.

She explained that salary arrears is a national concern, attributing the failure to the national Ministry of Finance and Planning.

“The position of the ministry of general education in the state is that the exams that teachers are doing has no relationship with the salaries, because the issue of the salary is a nationwide issue and is the responsibility of national ministry of finance,” she said.

“Again, assessing the teachers’ capacity is a policy of the national ministry of education, which is then channeled to all the states to make sure that qualified teachers are identified and also the teachers that need professional development are identified.”

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