Teachers of five public universities of South Sudan began a strike on Monday asking for the payment and increase of their salaries. 

The head of the Staff Union of Bahr el Ghazal University, Malual Majok, told Radio Tamazuj the Ministry of Education has not paid their salaries since austerity measures were introduced in South Sudan in February 2012.

Malual, who is also a lecturer at the university, stressed that living costs are “unbearable due to prices' hike and high living standards in South Sudan.”

Students of the Bahr el Ghazal University urged the managements of public universities and the Ministry of Education to resolve the situation as soon as possible.

“We have come from remote areas, paid tuition fees as required by the universities' management. Now the lecturers went on strike until their demands are met by a move by the government which would apparently interrupt the educational process,” student Agui Aguet outlined.

He called upon the concerned Ministries to resolve the problems the higher education in South Sudan is facing.

Staff from the following universities are striking: Bahr el Ghazal, Juba, Upper Nile, Dr. John Garang memorial, and Rumbek.