Tensions have flared again between teachers and officials in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State’s Ministry of General Education over unpaid salaries, with the teachers’ union calling for the immediate removal of the ministry’s director general, Velantino Anei Deng.
Kondit Deng Kon, head of the Northern Bahr el Ghazal Teachers’ Union, told Radio Tamazuj on Monday that the demand followed the ministry’s failure to pay three months of wages—April, May, and June 2025—for educators in Aweil East County.
“Teachers in Aweil East County are still demanding salaries for three months: April, May, and June 2025,” Kon said.
He added that teachers in Aweil North, Aweil West, Aweil South, Aweil Center, and Aweil Town are also awaiting pay for May and June.
A teacher in Aweil Town, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the delays. “That information is true because we are currently requesting our salaries for the months of May and June,” the teacher said.
The educator noted that April’s wages were only paid recently. “We have already received our wages for the month of April since the last two weeks,” the teacher said.
However, Velantino Anei Deng, the ministry’s director general, dismissed the claims. “That is a white lie, and there is nothing like that,” he said, without providing further details.
He also rejected the union’s call for his removal, asserting, “They cannot do anything … because the teachers’ union is part of civil society organizations, and we are a government entity, so they don’t have any power to call for our removal.”
South Sudan earmarked 5.4% of its 2024/2025 budget for education, but transparency concerns linger over whether the funds have reached schools. The government faces chronic cash shortages, leaving civil servants—including teachers—unpaid despite official payment approvals.
In one stark case, two teachers in Western Equatoria collapsed from hunger after months without salaries. Economists attribute the crisis to dwindling trust in banks and prolonged political instability.
The Finance Ministry has recently acknowledged the liquidity crunch as a “major challenge” but has not proposed remedies.