Then the government, giving in to international pressure to reduce the yawning gap between its official exchange rate (3.1 SSP = $1 USD) and the street exchange rate (38 SSP = $1 USD), allowed the Pound to float. Its value plummeted. Today that teacher’s monthly salary is worth a pitiful $15 - $20.
Adding to the misery, the government has not paid any civil
servants their salaries since last November.
Teachers, soldiers, health workers, clerks…. No one!
Even the most dedicated ex-pat teachers who
stayed in South Sudan throughout all the years of war and turmoil and danger
are leaving their posts because the $50 border-crossing fee eats more than 2
months’ pay! Kenyans and Ugandans who
were, in many cases, the only trained teachers in S.Sudanese schools, can no
longer afford to stay. It’s going to be
a very rough year for everyone, including students.
No comments:
Post a Comment