Protesting Jonglei State teachers. (-).

Teachers in Jonglei State have locked the premises of the Ministry of Finance to protest allegations that it froze a cash transfer bank account of the Ministry of Education and created an alternative account.

In a petition letter, Jonglei Teachers Union said the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Investment created the new account number: 25804 at the Kush Bank in Bor, on September 19, 2023.

The protesting teachers claim said they were told that some senior officials, ordered the finance minister to freeze the State Education Ministry’s account and create a new one or use the state block account.

According to the September 19 communication addressed to the National Finance Minister, the State Ministry of Finance said it was allegedly instructed to utilize the state block account.

The letter stamped by the Jonglei State Finance Ministry office but bearing no signature, shows the account details as 00269131322072.

Eye Radio could not independently verify the authenticity of the letter.

However, the striking teachers demanded for cancellation of the account if the Minister of Finance distances himself from the letter.

“Today in all of Jonglei State, Teachers Union went on strike early in the morning and all these days, they have been demanding the state government to react to their demands,” said John Deng, the Interim Chairperson of the Teachers’ Union.

“So now, they are demanding that they do not need a new account created by the state ministry of finance, and two, they do not need block account that the state minister of finance wrote to the national minister of finance, our money of education has to remain in the account of education.”

Deng claims that there has been misappropriation of education money in the past by the Ministry of Finance.

“They experienced a long time ago in 2006 when the state ministry of finance was managing the state ministry of education finances, and they have been misappropriation the education money since 2006 until 2021.”

When contacted, Jonglei State Cabinet Affairs Minister Samuel Manyoun referred the matter to the minister’s information minister.

However, several calls to the Minister of Information Elizabeth Nyadak, went unanswered.