For the second month.. Disagreements between the government and teachers over salaries disrupt studies in Libya

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The teachers' strike in Libya has entered its second month, with thousands of schools continuing to be closed and thousands of students deprived of school, despite the measures announced by the National Unity Government, in an attempt to contain the crisis and respond to the demands of workers in the education sector and security warnings.

Teachers' demonstrations were renewed today, Sunday, in a number of cities in the country, in protest against the failure to implement their demands related to improving salaries and living conditions, as the protesters raised the slogan "Sit-in, sit-in...the teacher is not insulted," declaring their commitment to continuing the strike.

The head of the National Unity Government, Abdul Hamid Al-Dabaiba, announced, following his meeting with the General Union of Teachers, last Tuesday, the adoption of a unified salary schedule that will begin to be implemented with the salaries of the current month, in addition to disbursing and continuing the quota bonus, disbursing the dues of school principals and their assistants, and working to settle salary differences and provide protection and health insurance for teachers.

However, these measures did not put an end to the teachers’ protests and did not succeed in ending the strike, as the official spokesman for the teachers’ movement, Wassim Kalish, confirmed in a statement to Al-Arabiya.net/Al-Hadath.net that the government did not respond to all the demands, explaining that the salary scale offered by the government and the increase it proposed do not match the demands put forward and do not achieve the teachers’ aspirations for a decent life, especially in light of the high costs of living.

The continuation of the strike comes at a time when fears are increasing about the repercussions of the disruption of schooling on students, with the accumulation of lessons and the delay in the implementation of educational programs, amid uncertainty about the date for the resumption of the school year.

In this context, the government called on teachers and education monitors in Libya to resume studies and ensure the return of students to schools, warning that legal measures would be taken against violators, stressing that “education is a national priority that cannot tolerate further postponement.”

Against the backdrop of the continuing teachers’ strike and the closure of a number of educational institutions in many regions, the Internal Security Service warned, in a statement yesterday, Saturday, of taking “legal and security measures” against anyone proven to be involved in “closing educational institutions or disrupting studies,” stressing that it “will not stand idly by in the face of these disturbances.”