Over 620 teachers marking the Certificate of Primary Education (PLE) examinations at the Teachers’ Training Centre in Juba have downed their tools following a disagreement over pay.

Jany Gatluak, a marker, told Radio Tamazuj Tuesday that they had an agreement with the National Examination Council’s secretariat to pay them SSP 35,000 weekly but the latter reneged and presented a contract of SSP 15,000 per marker per week.

“Last week on Monday, we began marking, and the agreement we had with the administration is that each marker will be paid SSP 35, 000 per week. The agreement has been changed and they said the SSP 35,000 will be reduced to SSP 15, 000,” he said.

Gatluak disclosed that they had stopped the marking process until the initial agreement is honoured.

“We do not want much; we just demand that the agreement we had should be respected,” he said. “We only need SSP 35,000 for each marker, and if they do not do it, we will not do the work.”

Another examination marker, George Taban, said the money is meant to cater for their transport and feeding.

“They promised us that every week we will receive SSP 35,000 as transport and lunch allowance. Last week, we marked, and they gave us our money successfully,” he explained. “Today (Tuesday), the staff from the education ministry decided to give us SSP 25,000, and yet we are supposed to get 35,000.”

Attempts to reach Simon Ngok, the secretary general of the National Examinations Council, were futile.