This archive report was first published on 29 October 2019.
Libya's internationally recognized government has launched an anti-corruption drive, targeting ghost workers in the education sector. The move has left over 150,000 teachers and staff without salaries, sparking widespread protests.
According to the education ministry, the affected staff had been receiving salaries without providing necessary documents. The ministry has also announced plans to question over 800 education administrative staff for violating laws, including being absent from work without permission.
Libya's education sector is plagued by inefficiencies, with the country paying salaries to thousands of ghost workers who were added to the payroll during the chaos following the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The country's public service is bloated, with over 550,000 teachers serving a population of just 6 million people.
Teachers have been on strike for weeks, demanding salary increases and better working conditions. The strike has delayed the start of the new school year, which was due to begin on October 13. Several schools in Tripoli have been closed due to the conflict, with many families displaced by the fighting.
Public salaries make up more than half of Libya's public spending, which relies heavily on oil and gas revenues. The country's economic struggles have been exacerbated by the ongoing conflict and corruption in the education sector.
Emad Badi, a researcher, has criticized the education ministry's decision, saying it is unsustainable to have such a large number of teachers serving a small population. 'It's not sustainable, to say the least,' he said.
Teachers have taken to the streets to protest the decision, with hundreds demonstrating in the capital and other cities. They are demanding the dismissal of the education minister, Othman Abduljaleel Mohamed, and an end to the corruption in the education sector.
One high-school teacher from the western city of Zliten, who was protesting, said: 'All the minister's decisions are random. He does not speak about our problems. There are no curriculums and books available yet, schools are in bad condition and our salaries are always delayed.'
Published on October 29, 2019, 12:15 PM GMT+0300 by Reuters.
