Jonglei governor orders striking schools to reopen within 48 hours
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By John Actually
March 15, 2011 (BOR) - Amid the continuing primary school teacher
strikes over housing allowances, that has lasted for four weeks,
governor Kuol has ordered teacher representatives of the three
counties, Twic East, Bor and Duk to reopen schools within 48 hours
after a meeting, that failed to convince the teachers to resume their
normal duties.
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Representatives leaving the meeting hall at the governor’s office, Bor
March 15, 2011 (ST)
The meeting was initiated by governor Kuol Manyang, attended by the
minister of education, Stephen Par Kuol, minister of legal affairs and
constitutional development, Mayen Ohka, minister of labor and public
service, Nyaduk Paul, minister of local government, Diing Akol Diing,
Bor county commissioner, Maker Lual and others.
Delegated by the governor to address the press, Mayen Ohka said the
teachers will be considered to having resigned if they do not open
schools within the given timeframe.
"Today, the governor took the initiative to call the teachers’
representatives of the three counties of Bor, Twice east and Duk.
After rejecting our request to resume their duties, we ordered them to
reopen schools within 48 hours. We expect the report to reach the
governor on Friday, 18 March", said Mayen. "If they don’t open schools
within these hours, we will consider them to have resigned", he
continued.
In reference to the resolutions passed by the council of ministers on
2 February, all the state civil servants were to be paid housing
allowances including the teachers, primary teachers across Jonglei.
They went on strike on 21 February, over housing allowances and closed
the schools.
The council of ministers formed a committee chaired by minister of
local government, Diing Akol on 22 February said that it would
persuade the teachers to resume their duties with promises of paying
them later, but no agreement was reached.
On 7 March, finance minister told reporters that the council of
ministers has reversed their decision by suspending housing allowances
that were approved due to great financial deficit in the state.
Although he promised to pay teachers’ allowances, he failed to mention
how soon the payment was expected.
Jonglei Legislative Assembly (JLA) summoned education minister,
Stephen Par Kuol on 14 March, to address the parliament on the
on-going teacher strike Kuol said he would not satisfy the house in
his capacity as the minister since the issue lay in the hands of
council of ministers.
Kuol told the assembly that he had presented the memo to the council
of ministers, which recognised and accepted the accommodation
allowances payable to teachers in the form of arrears, but condemned
the manner in which the teachers presented their grievances.
Addressing the parliament, Kuol admitted that teachers are the most
underpaid professional workers, adding that they are not only eligible
for accommodation allowances but also a pay raise. A grade 12 teacher
receives a salary of approximately SDG300 (US$100) per month.
“Please Speaker and honourable members, allow me to tell you that our
teachers are the most underpaid for the work they do. Their noble
profession as technicians of human resource development has subjected
them to abject poverty where the budget allocated to education is
always less than a fraction of the total budget of GoSS”, he said.
Kuol said his ministry always received 80 percent of their budget from
GoSS in form of a“conditional grant” and the state is unable to top it
up due to a lack of internal revenues, forcing the council of
ministers in their last sitting to suspend housing allowances to all
civil employees until a permanent source of revenue is secured to pay
them.
Kuol also said efforts are being exerted to get line ministries in
GoSS these badly needed funds sooner than later.
In separate interviews on 14 March, the speaker of legislative
assembly, Peter Chol Wall, told Sudan Tribune that the house will
summon more ministers to answer the house on pending issues including
the budget that has created chaos in the state.
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Governor Kuol Manyang in the meeting hall before the meeting begun,
March 15 2011 (ST)
The current parliament was sworn in, in June 2010 after the April
general elections which retained Peter Chol Wall as speaker of
Legislative Assembly.
The speaker blamed the minister of finance, Aquila Maluth Mam for not
warning the state council of ministers of the deficit in the budget
when they sat to approve the release of housing allowances, the source
of current problems. Meanwhile the representatives of the teachers
told Sudan Tribune they will not open schools till they are paid.
Malueth John Aluong, one of the representatives said the discussion
was intimating and that they would not reopen the schools, even if
they are forced to resign.
“We will not open schools as he said. What we want is to be assured
that we will be paid on this date. We are not militants. If it would
mean termination, so be it”. Aluong said.
Another representative, identified as Abraham Kiir said the government
has been dragging its feet in solving the problems saying that the
firing of over 800 teachers will be an additional burden to the state,
adding that the state will find it difficult to replace them.
(ST)
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