President Kiir directs finance ministry to pay arrears of striking lecturers

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit directed on Thursday the Minister of Finance and Planning Dr. Dier Tong Ngor to immediately clear outstanding salaries for public university lecturers after they threatened to go on strike.

This was revealed in a statement issued on the President’s official Facebook page.

It said the meeting was also attended by the Minister for Higher Education, Gabriel Changson Chang.

“President Kiir has directed the Ministry of Finance to pay February and March salary arrears and allowances to all public universities based on the current salary scale,” Tong said.

Changson, the Minister of Higher Education said the meeting discussed follow up of resolutions made by cabinet on salaries adjustment for lecturers and their payment on time.

The lectures of University of Juba, Rumbek University of Science and Technology, University of Bahr El Ghazal, and Upper Nile University and John Garang University of Science and Technology are demanding salaries for the months of February and March respectively.

Academic and non-academic staff of Rumbek University of Science and Technology went on strike on Wednesday demanding their arrears.

On 2 April 2023, employees of the University of Bahr El Ghazal threatened to boycott work due to non-payment of salary arrears.

This is not the first time academic and non-teaching staff within the five public universities are going on strike over pay.

In May 2016, lecturers in the five major public universities staged strike over unpaid salaries.