South Darfur education strike into fourth week

The strike by the personnel of the Ministry of Education in 12 South Darfur localities has entered its fourth week, without any signs indicating that the problems will be resolved. The Democratic Teachers’ Association of South Darfur, and teachers in Kass, Buram, Rahad El Berdi localities in the past weeks repeatedly confirmed to Radio Dabanga that they will continue striking until all their demands have been met. “Our main demand is the payment of our monthly entitlements, and the arrears,” Ahmed Mohamed Kheir, Secretary-General of South Darfur’s Ministry of Education, told Radio Dabanga on Sunday.    He stressed that the South Darfur government so far did not respond. “A delegation of the Teachers’ Union travelled to Khartoum to raise the matter, but returned empty-handed.” The Democratic Teachers’ Association condemned the silence of the South Darfur State government, and “the lack of interest in educational matters and the well-being of the teachers”. Shamseldin Ahmed Saleh, chairman of the Association, stressed that the teaching staff will continue their strike “until the matters are resolved comprehensively”.   Via Radio Dabanga, he called on all the teachers and parents og school children to protest on Wednesday against “the loss of the future of the pupils and students, owing to the South Darfur State government’s negligence of education, and its refusal to pay the teachers’ dues”. File photo: Schoolgirls in Darfur Related: South Darfur teachers’ strike enters fourth day (7 August 2014)