Low and late pay drives teachers from South Darfur

Low wages and delayed payment of salaries have prompted some teachers in South Darfur the to search for other sources of income or to move away from the state altogether. The effect is that education is becoming available only to those who can afford it.

According to Shamseldin Saleh, the head of the democratic teachers association in the state, the salary of a teacher in the first or second degree after serving for more than 20 years does not exceed SDG 2,500 ($53*). He said that this amount covers only the price of bread per month.

Minimum wage

Shamseldin Saleh explained to Radio Dabanga from the South Darfur capital of Nyala that this situation has prompted teachers to seek other sources of income by working in the field of trade or in private schools while others have abandoned the profession, which affect the performance of the teacher in the educational process.

He said that the reason for this is the state's disregard of education leaving it for civil education so that education has become affordable to the class that can afford to pay more.

This week, the teachers' committee presented a study on the cost of living for a family of five including parents and three school-age children taking into consideration the limited income of a government employee who gets paid between SDG 1,500 ($32) and SDG 2,500 ($53) from the seventh to the second degree and found the total cost of living according to this study SDG 14,700 ($313) excluding the cost of communications, entertainment, and social contributions.

The study confirmed that this cost is very high compared to the income of the employee in the absence of an increase in wages

The media office asked the professionals to be united around their bodies and the demands of the resistance committees to demand an increase in wages.

Earlier this month, the Secretary-General of the Wages Council, Abdelrahman Haydoub, said that the cost of living for a family of five people is not less than SDG 9,800 ($210*), the minimum wage is SDG 424 ($9) while the minimum wage to live below the extreme poverty line, according to the World Bank for every person between $2-$7 a day.

* Based on the daily US Dollar rate quoted by the Central Bank of Sudan.