The chairperson of the Education Committee of Western Bahr el Ghazal State Assembly has raised concerns over the dismissal of dozens of teachers in the state, saying the government needs to act quickly to address grievances raised by the outgoing teachers.
Hon. Natalina Idris Jano has call on the two state ministries of Education and Public Service to form a committee to look into the issue, Gurtong reported, quoting the MP as calling the issue ‘urgent’ owing to the impact the mass dismissal had on education in some areas.
Last week teachers and students of Kuajieno Payam closed schools and blocked the road between Tonj and Wau in protest of dismissal of teachers from the area.
This came after total of 52 teachers in the state were dismissed on grounds that they had been appointed earlier without proper qualifications. Gurtong repots that the dismissed teachers are mainly from Jur River County.
Jano also expressed concern about the entitlements of the dismissed staff, questioning whether their pensions would be paid or not.
The teachers were among about 700 civil service employees affected by the Council of Ministers’ resolution No. 27 instructing all ministries in the state to screen academic credentials of employees and appointment procedures.
File photo: Girls at a school in Bahr al Ghazal