“We have not taught pupils for four days because the state ministry of education does not want to pay us five months’ salary arrears,” said Santino Mature, a volunteer teacher in Rumbek East County.

Most of the volunteer teachers who were posted to public primary schools in the county have bid goodbye to the system, throwing fresh challenges of insufficient teachers in Lakes State.

Complaints by volunteer teachers across South Sudan started early this year after President Salva Kiir directed relevant government ministries to ensure that primary and secondary education is free.

In March, the national minister of education underscored that charging school fees is illegal and directed all public school administrators not to take money from parents.

Mr Matur, who is a volunteer Arabic teacher at Nhiak Primary School, told Radio Tamazuj that the state government refuses to include their names on the payroll of regular primary teachers.

“We have too many bills to pay. Many of us have had to take loans. We owe money to tea sellers. We borrow money to feed our families. The business community have refused to give us loans. This is why we decided to stop teaching,” Santino explained.

According to Matur, the volunteer primary school teachers threaten to lay down their tools due to the failure of the State Ministry of Education to increase their pay and put their names on the payroll of regular teachers.

“The budget for Arabic teachers in all the schools is out and it is before the minister of Education of Lakes State, but he does not want to pay Arabic teachers. What is he doing with the Arabic teacher’s (salary) budget, which was passed?” He asked.

John Thon Malual, a headteacher of Atiaba Primary School in Rumbek East count,  told Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday that the number of volunteers who have left primary schools due to a lack of government willingness to pay their salaries is on the rise.

“It is not yet a strike, but the volunteer teachers decided to leave teaching because the government does not want to increase their pay and the teachers have now left the schools,” he said.

He said only two teachers at Atiaba Primary School are on the payroll system of the state government under the State Ministry of Education.

“In Atiaba primary school, we have a total of 1,079 learners and the number of payable teachers in this school is two;  my deputy and I cannot manage to teach and control that huge number of 1,079 learners in the school. We want the government of Lakes State to increase our salary from 15,000 SSP to 36,000 SSP and to recruit these volunteers and add them to the government payroll system. Otherwise, failure to do then the government’s slogan of making quality education will not be attainable in 2023 in Lakes State,” he said.

He said only a few teachers are made by the Ministry of Education to benefit from the capitation, while the majority are not being paid there with the capitation grant in Lakes State.

Mayor Dor Apac, another headteacher at Nhiak primary school in Rumbek East County, said that the volunteer teachers who have been teaching in the school for five months without salary but with a promise from the state government that they would be included in the state government payroll system. These teachers have left the schools where they were teaching.

“I have a problem of volunteer teachers in Nhiak Primary School who have been teaching pupils for five months without salaries, and the government has given a free education and promised to enrol these teachers into the system,” he said.

“These volunteer teachers have promised me that they will no longer be teaching pupils and this is what is happening across Rumbek East County. All the volunteers in his school have left the school premises in Nhiak Primary School. Now, the total of learners in the school is 748, and only two are payable teachers left in Nhiak primary school, and that’s why the deputy headteacher and I have reported this serious issue to the Payam education supervisor. We don’t know what will happen to the learners and the community,” he added.

The headteacher pointed out that the state government was not honest in its promises to recruit volunteer teachers. He also said that the argument by the government that qualified teachers needed to take State examinations was not fair and that this examination was not implemented.

“You know, the government of Lakes State cheated us into recruiting volunteer teachers, and now we are all cheated by the government and some years back, we used to have community contribution to sustain volunteer teachers and when the government declared free education in Lakes State and promised to pay and recruit the volunteer teachers in its payroll system that thing has now failed,” he said.

He said if the government totally failed to pay the volunteer teachers, adding that these schools in Rumbek East County will close down by themselves.

“Yes, it is true. The volunteers have started a strike. Now, pupils are playing in the compound since morning, waiting for the food to eat only and go back home instead of lessons from the teacher while we continue to urge them to keep coming back to school to eat food and go back home,” he said

Attempt to reach the State Minister of General Education and Instruction, Nelson Makoi Makur, for comments were futile.