Teachers at government schools in Central Equatoria State are bemoaning delays in salary disbursement by the State they can no longer pat they bills.

With a faltering economy reeling from the coronavirus pandemic, some male teachers are now a lonely lot after losing their wives for being priced out in their bid to provide basic needs.

According to the educators, this is not their first red flag. There are previous complaints to the state ministry of education which have so far fallen on deaf ears but they will not relent.

Abdul Wahid is a history teacher at Nile Model Secondary School has been surviving on the deep end for more than three months without salary.

“Let the government also put the teachers in to considerations by at least looking into the teacher’s situations,’’ he said. “Most teachers stay very far from the schools, if possible they should provide buses to transport teachers to the schools,” Abdul added.

Meagre pay

The teaching profession, according to Abdul, requires ambition and unmatched spirit of sacrifice, especially in South Sudan where teachers are paid SSP3000 ($5) a month.

 “The salaries are less and not being paid actually in time although we know [how bad] the economic situation in the country,” he said.

He said that they agreed with the state ministry of education that teachers who taught candidates during the COVID-19 pandemic would be paid SSP5000 per month. But agreement was never honoured as this payment was made after three months.

“We were paid three months, actually the money was less, which cannot sustain the current situation,” he explained.

Wahid questioned why teachers are not getting same preferential treatment as those at the health sector.

“You see these public health officers are being paid some amount of dollars that is equal to some good South Sudanese Pounds amount. We [teachers] too are now in the area of danger because the students we teach are come from different areas and households, we don’t know their [coronavirus] status,” he stressed.

“Now, I as a teacher left my house to come and teach and at the end of the day I go back home infected with the disease and take the disease home. So, I am urging the concerned [authority] to consider improving the standard of teachers’ living,” Abdul said of COVID-19 safety priority.

Juba Day Senior Secondary School Headmaster George Kenyi said the government ought to promptly pay teachers and avoid delaying with their dues. He said the educators have been faithful to the service. “So we are getting salaries although the last salary was paid in August and September and we are always behind by three or more months,” he said.