By Deng Ghai Deng
The University of Juba has responded to recent reports and social media speculation regarding a potential strike by its teaching staff members over unpaid salary arrears.
A letter issued on Tuesday, July 23rd, 2024, signed and stamped by Professor Milton Melingasuk Lado, Director of International Cooperation and Alumni Affairs at the University of Juba, expressed concern over the document circulating on various platforms, particularly referencing an article of Monday, July 22nd, 2024, published on No. 1 Citizen Daily English newspaper.
The newspaper had reported on looming threats of a strike by University of Juba staff over unpaid arrears, quoting a letter allegedly penned by representatives of the university’s teaching staff.
“The University Administration would like to notify the general public that this information did not originate from the University Administration,” the letter stated, disputing the authenticity of the document in question.
The letter stressed that any official communication from the university administration would bear the signature of the Vice Chancellor and the university stamp.
“The Vice-Chancellor is the legal authority representing all employees of the University of Juba, [and] any document for the community must bear his signature,” it added.
Speaking to this outlet, Professor Milton Melingasuk Lado noted that economic challenges in South Sudan might have prompted unauthorized individuals to issue statements purportedly on behalf of the university.
Lado acknowledged ongoing efforts by the university administration, under Vice Chancellor Prof. Robert Mayom Kuoirot, to resolve salary concerns.
“Those are scam papers, and so we are writing to affirm to the public that if they get these letters without a stamp and without a signature, they shouldn’t get them as if they were from the university administration,” Lado clarified.
“We were in the dean board meeting yesterday, and he [Vice Chancellor Robert Mayom] is making contacts with the vice presidents and with the president. They are trying their best.”
As South Sudan faces an economic meltdown, the National Ministry of Finance has not been able to meet payroll obligations or pay salaries for civil servants, including staff at the nation’s five public universities and organized forces, for nearly nine months.