Africa-Press – South-Sudan. Teachers at Rumbek National Secondary School in Lakes State have gone on strike, refusing to mark final-term examination papers for Senior One, Two and Three students over delayed incentive payments, they said on Monday.
The teachers accused the school administration of mismanagement and a lack of transparency over community contributions collected from parents to support staff incentives.
“We have not received our incentives, and that is why the school is not operating, despite the education minister announcing February 2 as the official reopening date,” teacher John Malou Makuac told Radio Tamazuj.
He said teachers were owed three months of incentives for October, November and December 2025, which were meant to be paid from community contributions.
“We claimed our rights through the Ministry of Labour, which confirmed that teachers are entitled to these incentives, but up to now we have not been paid,” Makuac said, adding that the director general had promised the payments would be released when schools reopened.
As a result, students have not received their report cards, he said.
“All teachers refused to mark the examinations because of the delay. The community contributed money specifically to support teachers, but the incentives never reached us,” Makuac added.
Another teacher, David Chol Maguen, said the situation had forced many teachers to stop working altogether.
“I worked for almost a year, and then my incentive was cut. We are demanding three months of arrears,” he said.
“Because of this delay, many teachers refused to mark exams or even come to school. Only administrators are present,” Maguen said, calling on the Lakes State government to intervene.
He warned that the school could not function without resolving the dispute, noting that results from two consecutive terms had not been released.
“This is not quality education if students are not receiving their report cards on time,” he said.
Teachers also alleged that some administrators had embezzled the incentive funds, claims the school administration denied.
Rumbek National Secondary School headmaster Elijah Matueny Awet acknowledged delays in incentive payments but said irregular salaries were a nationwide problem.
“No one in government receives salaries or incentives regularly,” Awet said. “If you miss two months, does that mean you stop working for the government?”
He said community contributions fluctuated and that shortages should not halt academic activities.
“Let what is late be late, but let the work of government continue,” he said, adding that teachers who refused to mark exams would be held accountable.
Awet said students should not be punished for failing to pay community contributions and insisted examinations would still be marked.
He urged parents to continue supporting schools, saying that while education is officially free, teachers still depend on community support.
“There is no free teacher. A teacher is a human being,” he said.
Civil servants and soldiers in South Sudan have gone unpaid salaries for several months. Professionals with monthly salaries ranging from $10 to $50, such as teachers and doctors, have also experienced protracted payment delays.
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