Sudan: More teachers strike against non-payment

Teachers in Dongola and El Saleem in Sudan’s Northern State both entered into an open-ended strike, in an attempt to secure the payment of their salaries for the past three months.

The teachers of the Dongola administrative unit started their strike on Thursday, while teachers in El Saleem continued their strike for the same reason for the second day in a row.

In Dongola the teachers conditioned the lifting of their strike with the payment of salaries and full financial dues.

Radio Dabanga reported on Tuesday about a teachers’ strike in El Debba for the same reasons, as well as a refund of monies deducted from the salaries for July and August.

In Babanusa in West Kordofan, secondary school teachers also started a strike in protest against their unpaid salaries for September this year. A number of teachers told Radio Dabanga that the strike would continue until next Sunday.

Teacher protests

Basic and secondary schools in West Kordofan have faced a severe budget deficit due to the inability of the majority of families to pay school fees because of their poverty and hardship of living. Teachers have warned against closing schools in the event the situation continues as it is.

In previous months, teachers’ strikes against the deteriorated financial and educational situation erupted in Kassala and El Gezira states. Following the holiday of Eid El Adha, teachers demanded the payment of the holiday grants and salary for August. In El Gezira teachers carried out a sit-in in protest against the government’s decision to close more than 200 schools in the state.