The state minister of education in Northern Bahr al Ghazal has announced that schools are to reopen next month, after a long ‘holiday’ across the state owing to pay problems.

In an interview in Aweil on Wednesday, Minister Kon Deng Chan explained that some schools closed without sitting students for their examinations after the failure of the government to pay the teachers.

He blamed the National Crisis Committee for the failure.

“The schools will reopen next month without any conditions because in South Sudan we have the curriculum that mandates schools across the country to start the first term in February and end it in May,” he said.

Meanwhile, the head of the teachers’ union Garang Deng Kuol said they are being paid low salaries and even these were not paid out in time, which discouraged teachers across the state from working effectively.

The minister told Radio Tamazuj schools were closed not only because teachers were not paid, but also because the expected payment process itself was so disruptive.

Teachers were supposed to come meet a payment sub-committee of the National Crisis Committee, but the date of the committee’s arrival was not known and in the end they never showed up.

The Crisis Committee had reportedly asked the teachers to gather at county capitals in order to receive their pay. Those who were not present at the date of payment would not be paid.

Since some teachers are based in remote areas, they had to leave their schools in order to report to the county capitals, and stay there waiting.

Kon said they “moved up and down looking for the (pay) committees.”

The minister said there are not enough funds to recruit teachers in subjects like mathematics and sciences, which are especially needed at secondary schools in the state.

“We have some problems and the most challenging factor is lack of teachers that can teach sciences and mathematics,” said the minister.

Only six secondary schools are functioning in the state, according to the minister, but those that are working effectively are supported by the communities. 

He also stated they do not have textbooks and laboratories for teaching in secondary schools. The minister said they have reported this to the national government since last year but until now they just heard some textsbook are coming but they have not received them.

“The budget we receive is only for chapter one which is for ministry salaries and if we should have enough budget my ministry should have promoted teachers based on their grades,” he said.

He said other budget priorities for 2014 would be ministry premises and transportation for county inspectors.

Meanwhile, the university in Aweil has only one course now, which is a computer course.

File photo: Boys at a school in Owachi, Upper Nile State, 2011 (Cedric Gerbehaye/Pulizter Center)

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